The Special Ruble

In the time of the Tzemach Tzedek there lived a poor melamed. We do not know his name, so we will call him Reb Boruch.

Reb Boruch was very poor. He was paid only a small sum of money for his teaching. The parents paid Reb Boruch just 150 kopecks per child per year! As you can imagine, Reb Boruch was nothing close to a rich man.

What did Reb Boruch live on? Well, he lived on air! He somehow managed to buy some bread, beans, and water, and that was how he lived.

One day, Reb Boruch had to buy something. Who knows—maybe it was food, or maybe the clothes that he so desperately needed. Either way, he had to buy something, but had no money.

Reb Boruch thought: “I can’t wait until the next time the parents come to pay me. That will be in a few months! What am I going to do? I need the money now.”

Reb Boruch decided to go to the Tzemach Tzedek and ask him if he could borrow a ruble. It was somewhat strange, but Reb Boruch had no choice. Where else could he go?

So, that is what Reb Boruch did, but he was very embarrassed. The Tzemach Tzedek asked him: “Reb Boruch, when will you return the money?”

Reb Boruch said: “I will Im Yirtzeh Hashem repay you in six months, when I get paid by the parents.” Reb Boruch was paid only twice a year.

“Okay Reb Boruch,” said the Tzemach Tzedek. “So you will pay me back in a half a year, six months. Right?”

“Yes Rebbe, with Hashem’s help,” Reb Boruch replied.

The Tzemach Tzedek then opened a drawer and took out a ruble for Reb Boruch. He gave it to Reb Boruch, and said: “Remember, Reb Boruch: You will pay me back in a half a year. Is that correct? Six months?”

“Yes. That is correct. I will repay you in six months, with Hashem’s help,” Reb Boruch reaffirmed.

When Reb Boruch was about to leave, the Tzemach Tzedek once again asked Reb Boruch when he would return the money. Reb Boruch, in reply, told the Tzemach Tzedek: “I will Im Yirtzeh Hashem repay you in six months.”

With the ruble in his pocket, Reb Boruch came to the marketplace. He wanted to get change for the ruble, so he approached a farmer who was selling eggs. He said to the farmer: “Excuse me sir, can you please give me change for this ruble?”

The farmer said: “Sure, no problem! Just put down you ruble here, I will give you the change.” Reb Boruch did as he was told, and took the change from the man.

Reb Boruch was about to continue on his way, when he noticed that the farmer did not take the ruble. He had just left it there.

The farmer started getting busy with his customers, while the ruble was still on the small counter. Reb Boruch said to the farmer: “Excuse me, but your forgot your ruble here.”

The farmer was busy taking care of his customers. He just said to Reb Boruch: “Don’t you see that I am busy? Go away! Take this too. It is in my way.” He then gave the ruble back to Reb Boruch and pushed him away.

Reb Boruch thought that was strange. Why would the farmer push him away? Reb Boruch went to return the ruble to the farmer, but the farmer sent him away.

Reb Boruch tried to give the ruble back again, but the farmer was getting upset with him. So, Reb Boruch decided to just forget about it and take the ruble with him.

Now that Reb Boruch had another ruble, he wanted to buy things with that ruble too. He went to a potato merchant to get change.

Reb Boruch put down the ruble, and the potato merchant gave him the change. The potato merchant now went back to serve his other customers, and forgot about the ruble.

Seeing this, Reb Boruch said to the potato merchant: “Won’t you take your ruble? It’s right here.”

The potato merchant was very busy, and he said to Reb Boruch: “What ruble? How many pounds of potatoes would you like to buy today?”

“Uh, you just gave me change for this ruble. Here is your ruble,” Reb Boruch replied.

“I’m busy now,” said the potato merchant. “Leave me alone.” The potato merchant waved to Reb Boruch and gave him a light push. Reb Boruch decided to take the ruble with him again. It seemed like the potato dealer did not even “know” that he had given Reb Boruch change!

Now Reb Boruch still had his ruble with him, so he wanted to get change for it. He went to someone selling chickens, and asked for change.

Reb Boruch got the change, but the scene repeated itself:

the “chicken-man” forgot to take the ruble! Reb Boruch tried to bring it to the man’s attention, but as before, he was shooed away.

Well, Reb Boruch decided, if no one was taking his ruble, he might as well give it back to the Tzemach Tzedek. He had plenty of money (at least according to his standards), and meanwhile he had nothing to with this ruble.

So, for the second time that day, Reb Boruch went to the Tzemach Tzedek. This time, he went to return the ruble that he had borrowed.

When Reb Boruch came to the Tzemach Tzedek, the Tzemach Tzedek told him: “Reb Boruch, didn’t you make it clear that you will pay me back in six months, and not in a few hours? Did I not tell you: ‘Remember, Reb Boruch: You will pay me back in a half a year.’”

“Yes Rebbe, I told you that I would repay you in six months,” Reb Boruch recalled.

The Tzemach Tzedek continued: “Now that you came to me, I will have to take back the ruble.” So, the Tzemach Tzedek took the ruble.

After Reb Boruch left, he understood why the Tzemach Tzedek had made it so clear that he should return the ruble in six months. If he had kept the ruble for that length of time, he would have been a wealthy man.

The ruble that Reb Boruch received from the Tzemach Tzedek had a special brocha, so that nobody wanted to take it. Whenever Reb Boruch would try to do something with it, no one would accept it.

The Tzemach Tzedek wanted Reb Boruch to have that special brocha, but he returned the ruble too early, so the full brocha never materialized.