A Lesson From The Dubno Maggid

Dubno Magid - When a Country Bumpkin Saw Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel Ztz"l Suffer

A villager made his first ever trip to the big city. He was amazed by the sights and sounds. The sensory overload was like nothing he had ever experienced in his life. Suddenly he found himself facing the storefront of the King's tailor. He was amazed by the rolls of exquisite fabric and the artistic colorful patterns. As he stood admiring, the tailor took a roll of material and spread it out on his work table. He took a pair of scissors and was about to begin cutting. The villager could not control himself and he burst into the store and forcibly stopped the tailor from cutting the material. "How can you destroy such a magnificent piece of fabric?" screamed the villager. "Fool", said the tailor. "Now it is just a useless piece of fabric. When I finish cutting it, the King will grace himself with it at his next banquet." Sometimes when we see a great Tzaddik suffering, says the Dubno Magid, we question how can Hashem make such a special human being suffer? This is a question of someone who doesn't understand anything. If only we understood that Hashem is shaping him into something far beyond the beauty he already possesses, we wouldn't question. How appropriate this message during the Shiva for Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel Ztvk"l. Anyone who saw even a glimpse of his suffering and knew the tip of the iceberg of what he accomplished, was left an indelible impression that he would marvel at for the rest of his life. He was truly an inspiration to all of us. No one ever asked how this tzaddik could suffer so much. He was more than a fine silk. He was a garment for the king that was easily recognized by anyone. special thanks to rebecca lazrous for sending this to me.