When the holy Rabbi Chaim of the city of Tzanz (known as the "Divrei Chaim" after the book he wrote) was of marriageable age, the beautiful daughter of the well respected & pious Baruch Tam was suggested & the match was made. Back in those days, matches were made & the prospective groom & bride didn't interact or even meet until the wedding would near. A week before the wedding, the two decided it would be good to meet for a short while and chat. When the bride to be entered the room where her groom was waiting, she was shocked at what she saw. The Divrei Chaim is known to have had a limp because one leg was shorter than the other. Also, while being a very holy individual, he wasn't a very handsome man to say the least. Immediately after their short meeting, the bride went to her parents and told them the wedding was off. She just couldn't see herself marrying this guy!
Both sides of the family tried to reason with her, explaining what a special person the Rabbi Chaim was, a once in a generation righteous scholar. But she wasn't going to be swayed. When word reached back to Rabbi Chaim, he asked to have a word with the girl. "But unnecessary private meetings aren't proper!" he was told. "It's over." Rabbi Chaim asked for the opportunity to have one more word with her, and the parents relented. Once together, Rabbi Chaim asked the girl to look into the large mirror in the room and tell him what she saw. Looking in the mirror, the girl saw something amazing. Rabbi Chaim appeared as a striking, very handsome man. The bride, however, now appeared with a gaunt face, crouching a bit with a noticeable limp. "Our souls were destined to be together from the beginning," said Rabbi Chaim. "But before we descended into this world, I saw that you would have this appearance and I pleaded with God to switch our appearances." The two were married a week later.
Right now, the Jewish people may not be at the apex of our spiritual abilities. We may be walking with a limp, without a very handsome appearance. But who are we still doing our best to serve and connect to? Who have we been killed for adhering to and sent into exile away from Israel for so many years? Our affliction is God's affliction. We are united at the hip and the Jewish destiny is connected to God. He feels our pain, and we feel his. Through our final acts of good deeds and Torah learning, kind acts and Jewish adherence, may God bring peace and only revealed good to the world, where both bride & groom are beautiful inside & out together, speedily in our days!
Shabbat Shalom!
