The Two Treasures

In the time of the Ba’al Shem Tov, there lived a simple yid named Reb Avrohom. Reb Avrohom was very poor.

Reb Avrohom worked very hard. But at the end of the day, he only had a few pennies, that was barely enough to buy some bread and onions for his family.

Reb Avrohom would return home from work, sit down and learn Torah throughout the night. Reb Avrohom had nothing else to do. He da’avened to Hashem that someday he would have the money that he needed.

Life in Reb Avrohom’s family continued like that until, one day, Reb Avrohom’s wife heard about a great tzaddik who gives brochos and helps people. She had heard that this man had made miracles. This tzaddik was called the Ba’al Shem Tov.

Reb Avrohom’s wife thought about asking the Ba’al Shem Tov for a brocha for parnosa. She spoke to Reb Avrohom about it. “You know,” she said, “we are very poor. We hardly have any money.”

“Yes, that is true,” Reb Avrohom said.

“So,” Reb Avrohom’s wife continued, “I heard about a great tzaddik who gives brochos, and has performed many miracles. He is called the Ba’al Shem Tov.”

“Well,” Reb Avrohom said, “I don’t want to bother a tzaddik with such things. Who am I to go disturb a tzaddik from what ever he is doing and ask him for a brocha for parnosa?”

“That is true,” Reb Avrohom’s wife replied, “but still, I think you should go ask the Ba’al Shem Tov for a brocha.”

So, that night, Reb Avrohom set out to the town of Mezibuz to go ask the Ba’al Shem Tov for a brocha. When Reb Avrohom arrived there, he inquired how he could have an audience with the Ba’al Shem Tov.

When Reb Avrohom met the Ba’al Shem Tov, he recounted his problems and how needed to make a parnoso.

The Ba’al Shem Tov told Reb Avrohom: “Being poor is very different from being rich. If being poor is difficult, then being rich is even more difficult. Hashem tests a person who is rich even more than a person who is poor! Are you sure that you want to be rich?” “Yes! I am sure that I would rather be rich than poor,” Reb Avrohom said.

So, the Ba’al Shem Tov said: “Reb Avrohom, on your way home, when you get to the bridge, go down by the side, and start digging. With Hashem’s help, you will find a treasure.”

***

When Reb Avrohom was walking home, he reached the bridge that the Ba’al Shem Tov had told him about. He went off to the side of the bridge and started digging. Reb Avrohom was digging and digging, all around, but he could not find anything.

Just then, walking on the bridge was a yiddish tailor who knew Reb Avrohom. When he saw Reb Avrohom digging, he was surprised. “What in the world is Reb Avrohom doing?” he thought to himself. “Reb Avrohom,” he said, “why are you digging there?”

“Well, you see, I went to the Ba’al Shem Tov, he told me that I would find a treasure here. But, I guess it was all a dream.”

“A dream?” the tailor asked. “Funny thing—you said a dream. That reminds me about dream that I had last night. I forgot all about it until you said the word dream. I was such a good dream, and it was also about a treasure!”

Reb Avrohom said: “Yeah? Let me hear your dream.”

“Okay,” said the tailor. “The dream goes like this: I dreamt that far away, there lived a family that was very poor. They lived in a house that was falling apart. They were so poor that they could not even afford to buy food. They were so poor, but they did not know, that in middle of their house, under their stove was a big treasure!

“That was my dream. Can you imagine? They were so poor, but they did not know that in middle of their house, right under the stove, was a big treasure! That was a funny dream,” the tailor said.

“Hey,” Reb Avrohom said. “The family in your dream sounds just like my family! Maybe, if I look under the stove in my house, I’ll find the treasure that was in your dream!”

“Yes, Reb Avrohom,” the tailor said. “Try it. It can’t hurt.”

So, Reb Avrohom went home, and after his children kids had gone to sleep, he started digging under the stove. In those days, people had floor made out of sand.

Now, as Reb Avrohom was digging he thought that he had hit something hard. Was it… was it the treasure?! Reb Avrohom was very excited!

Well, guess what? Reb Avrohom dug a little more, and found the treasure! The tailor's dream was about his family!!!

Reb Avrohom remembered what the Ba’al Shem Tov had told him about Hashem’s tests, so he did not want to start spending all his newly acquired money just like that. Right away, Reb Avrohom gave a lot of tzedokoh. He wanted to thank the Ba’al Shem Tov for the brocha, and he also wanted to thank the tailor.

So, the next morning, Reb Avrohom set aside two bags, and filled them with some of the gold, silver and precious stones from the treasure chest. One bag he was going to give to the Ba’al Shem Tov and the other to the tailor.

Later on, Reb Avrohom set out to Mezibuz, to give the Ba’al Shem Tov the bag full of treasures. He also wanted to give the tailor a bag, and the tailor lived not far from the Ba’al Shem Tov.

Now, Reb Avrohom was walking and walking, and finally he got to the bridge that lead to Mezibuz. As he was crossing the bridge, he saw the tailor. The tailor also saw Reb Avrohom. “Reb Avrohom,” he said, “you are just the person who I wanted to see!”

Reb Avrohom said: “Well, I was looking for you!” The tailor was surprised. “Why?” he asked.

“You see,” Reb Avrohom said, “the dream that you told me about before, wasn’t just a plain dream. It was a true dream, about my house, about my family, and my stove! How do I know? Because I dug under my stove, and lo and behold, right there was a big treasure!

“So, now I want to give you part of the treasure, after all, it was your dream,” Reb Avrohom said.

“No, no,” the tailor said. “You do not need to give me part of your treasure. I will tell you why. Remember when you told me about the treasure under this bridge? Well, I knew that you did not find it on that side of the bridge, but I thought maybe it would be on the other side of the bridge.

“So, I started digging there. As I was digging and digging, I finally found the treasure. That was the treasure that the Ba’al Shem Tov was talking about. It was on the other side of the bridge and I found it. But now, I thought that it is only right that I give you part of the treasure, because you were the one who told me about it. That’s why I was coming to visit you,” the tailor concluded.

“Thank you,” Reb Avrohom said, “but you don’t need to give me part of your treasure, because it was the Ba’al Shem Tov who told me about it. So here, just take this bag and put it to good use.”

The tailor also did not want to take Reb Avrohom’s bag, but he wanted Reb Avrohom to take his bag. They both felt that the other deserved part of their treasure. So, they went on and on arguing, until they decided to go to the Ba’al Shem Tov and ask him what to do.

They both went to the Ba’al Shem Tov and explained their problem. The Ba’al Shem Tov asked them: “Do either of you have children who are of marriageable age?”

“Yes,” one of the two men said. “I have a daughter.” The other man said: “I have a son.”

“Okay,” the Ba’al Shem Tov said. “My suggestion is as follows: You make a shidduch with your daughter and your son, and with the money in the two bags you can make a nice chassunah. With the left over money, the chosson and kallah can set up a nice home.

“But, before the chassunah, I want you to find a chosson and kallah that need money to make a chassunah, and give them the money that they need. Then, after they make their chassunah, you will make your chassunah.”

The two men left the Ba’al Shem Tov, satisfied with what the Ba’al Shem Tov had suggested. The two men did as the Ba’al Shem Tov had said. Then, after both chassunahs were over, they were very careful how they spent the rest of their money, making sure to give tzedokoh like a good yid should.