thecommunityconnections.com 845-371-2222 | January 8, ‘25 42 AS TOLD TO CHAYA SILBER A short distance from the city of Chernobyl, home of the Chernobyler Maggid, was the small town of Chosnik, where Berel, an ehrliche chosid, resided. Several times a year, Berel would hire an apprentice to manage his general store, which sold herring, molasses, and borsht, and travel to Chernobyl to soak in the Maggid’s holiness and fortify himself with spirituality. These visits gave him the inner contentment he needed to elevate his soul despite the mundane daily struggle for parnossa. Berel was blessed with a refined and dignified nature. He earned the respect of his neighbors, both Jew and gentile, and his store brought in a modest income. Yet Berel never desired more. The yetzer hora of financial success never tempted him, and not once did he fantasize about what he would do, were he to strike it rich overnight. Let others stake their fortunes on lottery tickets, he would remark, “Thank G-d we have everything we need.” When Berel davened, he would beseech Hashem for health, nachas from the children, and the ability to advance in his learning. He never davened for additional wealth, since he knew that it had the ability to corrupt even the finest men. Each time Berel would go to Chernobyl, he would carry a respectable sum of money in his money sack, and give it to the Maggid to distribute
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