The gabbai discovered that a pauper’s heartbreaking story was false. Rabbi Yoel heard the news very differently.
A poor man came before Rabbi Yoel with a story of layered misery. His wife had died, he said; children were waiting for him at home; one of his legs had been amputated. Rabbi Yoel listened and gave him a substantial sum.
The gabbai came back
A few minutes later, the gabbai entered in anger. He had watched the man leave on two healthy legs. The story of the amputation had been a lie. He expected the Rabbi to demand the money back.
Instead, Rabbi Yoel was visibly relieved. The man was not an amputee. A suffering that had seemed real moments earlier did not exist.
Then came the second discovery
The gabbai returned once more. The man was not a widower either; his wife had been seen outside. Again Rabbi Yoel received the news with joy. His relief was for the man, not for the money.
The deception did not become the center of the scene. The imagined widowhood, orphaned children, and lost limb disappeared, and that disappearance was itself cause for gratitude.
What remained after the man left
The money was gone. Rabbi Yoel did not treat compassion as the mistake. Better to lose money than to learn that a Jew was truly carrying the suffering he had described.
Sources & further readingOpen the reading list +
Sources
Continue with the books and memories
The Satmar Rebbe and the Lame Widower
The story as adapted by ArtScroll from Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein’s Aleinu L’shabei’ach.
Open source ↗The Satmar Rov on his 32nd yahrtzeit
A second retelling within a collection of memories about Rabbi Yoel’s giving and care for individuals.
Open source ↗