There was once a chasid of the Rebbe, R’ Shlomo of Karlin, zt”l, who lived in a small town near Karlin, in a small broken-down house. This chasid did not have much of anything, but nonetheless he was happy with his lot. Every year, when the festival of Sukkos arrived, the chasid would wait until everyone else had built their sukkos, and he would then go around and ask for whatever they had left over. People would offer him a rotted board or a rusted nail, and it was from these leftovers that he would build his sukkah. For seven days, the chasid would sit in his sukkah and sing with great joy.
Across the field from where the chasid’s rundown shack stood, there lived a very wealthy man. This wealthy man owned the local factory and employed most of the town. His house was large, and he did not lack anything in the way of materialism. But he was not happy. In fact, he was more than just not happy. He was downright miserable.
The rich man’s sukkah was a wonder. It was cavernous, with an oak table, candelabra, and running water. The sukkah had everything one could imagine. Nonetheless, every year the wealthy man sat in his sukkah, and when he would hear the Karliner chasid singing from across the field, it drove him absolutely crazy. There is nothing that makes a sad person so sad as to meet a happy person, and there is nothing that makes a sad person happier than to meet another sad person.
One year, as the festival of Sukkos approached, the wealthy man was struck by an idea. He approached everyone in the town and told them, “Listen here. You are all employed by me, and I give you all that you have. This year, when the Karliner chasid comes around asking for rotted boards or rusted nails, you are not permitted to give him anything.” Now, when the wealthy man issued such a directive, what was anyone to do? After all, the wealthy man did own the town.
When the chasid requested from the townspeople if they could spare a leftover piece from their sukkah, the people would just shrug their shoulders, turn their palms up, and shake their heads. “I am sorry,” they would say, “but this year I cannot even spare a rusty nail.” The chasid was rejected by every single person in town and was about to despair of building a sukkah that year when suddenly he had a brainstorm. Immediately, he ran to implement his plan.
Sukkos arrived, and the wealthy man sat at his oak table in his sukkah, with his candelabra and everything he could imagine. The wealthy man recited Kiddush in peace and blissful quiet. He was happy that he would not be disturbed this year by the Karliner chasid. Suddenly, from across the field, he heard singing! The wealthy man quickly jumped up!
“How can it be?” he wondered aloud. He looked outside, and lo and behold, across the field, a shabby sukkah was propped against the Karliner chasid’s house. The wealthy man ran across the field and burst in on the chasid. “Where did you get the wood for this sukkah?” he exclaimed.
The Karliner chasid received the wealthy man with a glowing face. “Shalom Aleichem! Come in! Sit down!” Still standing, the rich man repeated his question, “Where did you get this wood from?”
“I will be glad to tell you,” the chasid said, his face aglow. “But first, allow me to tell you a story. Yesterday, I was looking around town for a way to build a sukkah, and I asked people if they could spare a board or a nail. It was the strangest thing that ever happened to me. It seemed like everyone had used up their materials, and there was nothing left over. It was already getting late in the afternoon, and I was still walking around town without even the first board to use for a sukkah.”
The rich man knew all this and smiled inwardly. The chasid continued. “And then, who do you think I should run into? None other than the Malach HaMaves, the Angel of Death himself! I was fearful, but I mustered up the courage and asked him, ‘Angel of Death! What brings you to town?’ The Angel of Death responded, ‘Oh, I just have one more pick-up today until after the holiday.’ I said to the Angel of Death, ‘Would you mind if I ask you who it is?’”
The rich man was now listening intently. “Now, you will not believe this,” the Karliner chasid continued, leaning forward, staring right at the rich man. “The Angel of Death mentioned your name!”
Now it was the rich man’s turn to get excited, but the Karliner chasid said, “I told the Angel of Death, ‘That guy? You came to get that guy? Don’t even bother.’ The Angel of Death asked me, ‘Don’t bother? Why not?’ I said to him, ‘Because he is so sad, it is like he is already dead.’” The chasid looked at the ghastly white face of the rich man. “‘Well,’ said the Angel of Death, ‘if he is that sad, I guess I do not even have to bother.’ And with that, he turned and left.”
“Now,” said the Karliner chasid, “I know that the Angel of Death is not returning until after Sukkos, and I also know that the chevra kadisha (burial society) keeps wooden stakes that say ‘Here lies …’ which they put in a new grave before they put up the headstone. I decided to ‘borrow’ these stakes since no one was using them anyway, and with them, I built my sukkah!” With that, the Karliner chasid burst into a joyous song.
The rich man sat there like a stone. The chasid’s words pierced the man’s heart like arrows, and he began to cry from the depths of his heart. Finally, he asked the chasid, “Please tell me. What can I do? I cannot remove the sadness from my heart. I have everything in life except for joy. And you, who have nothing—where do you get all this joy?”
The chasid responded: “If you want to be joyous, you must go to the Karliner Rebbe. There you can learn what true simchah is.” The wealthy man went to Karlin and was transformed into a new person—full of joy and happiness. He became one of the greatest Karliner chasidim. All that he needed was for someone to ignite the spark that was hidden deep inside him.
Rabbi Dovid Hoffman is the author of the popular “Torah Tavlin” book series, filled with stories, wit and hundreds of divrei Torah, including the brand new “Torah Tavlin Yamim Noraim” in stores everywhere. You’ll love this popular series. Also look for his book, “Heroes of Spirit,” containing one hundred fascinating stories on the Holocaust. They are fantastic gifts, available in all Judaica bookstores and online at http://israelbookshoppublications.com. To receive Rabbi Hoffman’s weekly “Torah Tavlin” sheet on the parsha, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.