The Rebbe Who Disappeared Before Yom Tov

It is told that on the day before each Yom Tov, Rav Yitzchok Isaac of Kaliv would disappear for many hours, and no one knew where he went. One year, on Erev Sukkos, Mr. Yaakov Fisch, the lay leader of the Kaliv Jewish community, was determined to discover the tzaddik's secret. While the Rebbe was busy, Reb Yankel hid in the wagon and remained unnoticed until the journey was well under way.

When he revealed himself, the Rebbe was visibly distressed. "What can I do with you now?" he said. He made Reb Yankel promise not to ask any questions, either of himself or of anyone else.

Soon they reached a city that Yankel did not recognize. The Rebbe stopped the wagon and walked down a narrow path that led to a mikveh, telling his passenger to wait while he immersed. Yankel waited until curiosity and impatience overcame him. Forgetting the promise, he climbed down and asked the first man he met, in Yiddish, "Excuse me, but where am I?"

"Don't you know where you are?" the man replied, astonished, thinking he was speaking to a madman. "Where do you think you are?" "I was in Kaliv, Hungary, a few hours ago," Yankel began. "Now I know you are mad," said the man. "How could anyone get from Kaliv to Tzfas in a few hours?" "Tzfas?" cried Yankel. "You are the one who is mad. How could I be in Tzfas, in Eretz Yisroel, if I was just in Kaliv?"

The argument grew heated, and Yankel forgot to hurry back. By the time he returned to the mikveh, the wagon was pulling away. He was beside himself. He was stranded in a town of meshugaim (insane people) who believed they were living in Tzfas. With no choice, he asked one of them to take him in for Sukkos.

In the first hours of the Yom Tov, seeing the unfamiliar customs and hearing people speak in the Holy Tongue and in Arabic as well as Yiddish, Yankel realized that he really was in Tzfas. It dawned on him that the Kaliver used a Divine Holy Name for kefitzas haderech (a miraculous contraction of a journey) to come to Tzfas every Erev Yom Tov, in order to immerse in the mikveh of the holy Arizal, Rav Yitzchok Luria. Along with his amazement came shock, for he now understood that he must remain in Tzfas until the Rebbe returned the following Yom Tov. How else could he get back to Europe?

Meanwhile, in Kaliv, the Fisch family was frantic about Yankel's sudden disappearance. They ran to the Rebbe for advice. The Kaliver smiled and assured them there was no cause for concern, promising that Mr. Fisch would return just in time for the Pesach Seder.

And so it was. Six months later, Yankel Fisch was delighted to see the tzaddik's wagon arrive at the Arizal's mikveh on Erev Pesach, and this time he made sure not to miss the ride home. The Rebbe made him promise not to reveal the incident in his lifetime. It became known only after the Rebbe passed away in 1821.