Did You Believe? | Rabbi Moshe Taub

Every year, in Baranovich, R’ Elchonon Wasserman would repeat a story. That's a story that many of us know, we're not going to go into all the details, but it's the story of the Dibbuk and the Chofetz Chaim. One day, it was Erev Parshas Zachor, a knock on the Chofetz Chaim’s door. There was a man there, explaining that his daughter was possessed with a foreign Neshama. The Chofetz Chaim, after a few questions, believed him, and after a series of events, the Chofetz Chaim needed a Minyan, a Minyan of Malachei Elokim Tzvakos, of Tzaddikim. And R’ Elchonon, he was one of them. And the Chofetz Chaim told them exactly what was going to happen. The details are mixed, but we know that the Chofetz Chaim said it's going to exit, the Neshama, through her pinky, and from there, the Neshama’s going to have to go through a window, and they say very particular kapitlech of Tehillim. Of course, they asked this Neshama some very particular questions, a story for a different time. And at the moment that it was going to happen, they say the kapitl Tehillim, the woman screams, her pinky begins to bleed, the Neshama leaves through a crack in the window. Why did R’ Elchonon repeat this story every year? And why am I repeating it to you? Because there was a comment that R’ Elchonon made whenever he said this story that touched a nerve in me. R’ Elchonon began to cry and he said, Oy, gevald. I wish I wasn't there to witness that story. Because after 120, we're going to have a test and one of the questions we're going to be asked, Were you a believer? Did you believe in Hakadosh Baruch Hu? And it's a challenge. We have Nisyonos of Emunah and Bitachon, we see what's going on in the world. And I knew that I was going to be able to answer that question in the affirmative, that it was a Nisayon and I passed the Nisayon. But after I witnessed what I witnessed, after everything the Chofetz Chaim said was going to happen, marvelously, fantastically, it all happened exactly, כדת וכדין like he said, it was an open miracle, no longer is Emunah a Nisayon, it's no longer a challenge. And that's a shame! Because I lost the Zechus of that challenge, of that fight, of that Nisayon. And it touched a nerve, as I hope it touched with you. What a reminder of the Zechus of having a Nisayon, that Hakadosh Baruch Hu threw us into this wild Hellenistic generation. This is not a pain. This is something to embrace and embrace with Torah and Mussar and this fantastic organization, to continue to grow, so that when we take the test, we can say we fought the fight and we were victorious.