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"There is a Hasidic story, repeated to me by
Shmuel
[a member of the Israel Levin Senior Center,
the subject of much of Myerhoff's work] before
he died, that sums up my feelings about nine years
of work with the...Center people....
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"When the great Rabbi Israel Baal Shem-Tov saw
misfortune threatening the Jews, it was his custom
to go into a certain part of the forest to
meditate. There he would light a fire, say a
special prayer, and the miracle would be
accomplished and the misfortune averted. Later,
when his disciple...had occasion...to intercede
with heaven, he would go to the same place in the
forest and say 'Master of the Universe, listen! I
do not know how to light the fire, but I am
still able to say the prayer.' Again the miracle
would be accomplished.
"Still later, Rabbi Moshe-Lieb of Sasov, in
order to save his people once more, would go into
the forest and say: 'I do not know how to light the
fire, I do not know the prayer, but I know the
place and this must be sufficient.' It was
sufficient and the miracle was accomplished.
"Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Rizhyn to
overcome misfortune. Sitting in his armchair, his
head in his hands, he spoke to God: ' I am unable
to light the fire and I do not know the prayer; I
cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can
do is to tell the story, and this must be
sufficient.'
"And it was sufficient."
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