Eliyahu Hanavi Pays a Visit
Reb Alter was a G-d-fearing village Jew who made a living as a farmer. A
congenial man, he was friendly with everyone in his district which was
located near the town of Stochava.
Reb Alter made a comfortable living from several fields, a large chicken
coop and a barn which contained many cows. He maintained a small inn at his
home, which was located at the crossroads out of town. Local non-Jewish
peasants and bypassers availed themselves of his tavern, and a small group
of Jews also made use of his services. Reb Alter was a cheerful Jew who
appreciated his good fortune and was happy with his life. There was only
one thing that clouded his happiness-the fact that he and his wife Henya
had not been granted children during the fifteen years of their marriage.
One day shortly before Pesach, Reb Alter returned from a visit to Stochova, and found several Jewish guests at his inn. Reb Dovid the mohel was traveling to perform a bris in a far-off village, and Reb Leib, a businessman was traveling for a business affair. He joined them for a drink and they began to discuss matters of joint interest.
"I have no desire to return home," sighed Reb Leib. "The women are turning the house over in their efforts to clean for Pesach. To my mind, it is exaggerated."
"My dear Reb Dovid," said Reb Alter, "I hope that this year you will not forget to send me shmura matzos and charoses."
"No, certainly I won't forget," said Reb Dovid. "By the way, are you davening again in the Anshei Chassidim shul? Don't the long prayers bother you and force you to rush through the Seder?"
"No," said Reb Alter ruefully. "We do not have little children to interfere with the Haggadda reading. We always finish the meal and the piyuttim before chatzos without difficulty. But let me show you a beautiful object I bought this year for the Seder." He stood up and went into an inner room, and shortly came out holding a shining object in his hand. It was a large gold-plated goblet. "I finally splurged and bought this beautiful Kos shel Eliyahu. Every year I try to buy something new in honor of the Seder and this year I chose this." He added fervently, "I hope Hashem will grant me a son in this merit." He didn't mention his desire to see Eliyahu Hanovi, a passionate wish that he had cherished for years. Reb Alter beamed to the compliments of Reb Dovid and Reb Leib, and didn't notice the furtive looks cast in his direction by Itzik, a Jewish drunkard who frequented his tavern. Itzik took a drag on a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and then gulped down half a class of whiskey. But his eyes kept returning to the shining goblet while his thoughts twisted murkily.
Reb Dovid picked up the handsome goblet and turned it around. "Such a cup is indeed worthy of Eliyahu Hanavi," he proclaimed.
"What indeed is the source of this tradition to open the door to Eliyahu Hanavi?" asked Reb Leib.
"You surely know that this goblet corresponds to the fifth term of geula mentioned in the chumash, 'haveisi'," replied Reb Dovid. "The opening of the door shows that tonight is a leil shimurim.
"You surely heard the story involving the Chasam Sofer, who was sitting around his Seder table with the disciples which the Yismach Moshe had sent him, when the door opened and a simple Jew entered. The Chasam Sofer welcomed him and honored him with a cup of wine. After the Jew tasted from the wine, the Chasam Sofer took the cup and drunk from it too. He offered it to his family members and disciples to taste as well, but they diplomatically refused. When the disciples returned to the Yismach Moshe, he chided them, "What a shame! I wanted to give you a chance to taste the shirayim of Eliyahu Hanavi, but apparently, you weren't deserving! That simple man was Eliyahu Hanavi himself!"
When Reb Alter heard the story, he gave a deep sigh. "If these distinguished chassidim did not merit seeing Eliyahu Hanavi, what are the chances of the rest of us?"
"One can never know," a voice spoke up. All three turned their head in the direction of the voice, and saw in surprise that it was Itzik. "Sometimes simple Jews merit to things that even great chassidim do not." Reb Dovid looked deeply into Itzik's eyes, wondering at his true intentions, but Reb Alter rejoiced to hear his words, and wondered if it was a message from heaven for him.
Reb Leib merely added, "How right you are."
It was Seder night, and Reb Alter was returning home from reciting maariv. He carefully carried with him the shmura matzos and charoses that his friend Reb Dovid had prepared for him. The entire way home, his thoughts revolved around the new gold goblet and how distinguished it would appear on the bright white tablecloth. He whispered a private prayer, "Ribono shel Olam! You can do anything You want! Make a miracle for me and send me Your prophet Eliyahu to bless me that I should merit children."
Reb Alter entered with a cheerful smile on his face. He and his wife Henya sat down before the gleaming table and promptly began to recite kiddush. Deep in his heart, he dared hope that he would merit a visitation from Eliyahu Hanavi-if not in his own merit, then in the merit of the beautiful gold goblet. Quite without noticing, when they reached Shulchan Aruch and were eating the delicacies that his wife had prepared, Reb Alter began recounting one story after another about Eliyahu Hanavi, and the salvations he had wrought.
It was therefore understandable that the couple's amazement was total when they suddenly heard a knock on the door while reciting "Shfoch chamoscha." Before Reb Alter could get to the door, in walked a tall Jew with a long, ragged beard wearing a villager's rough clothes and a thick rope tied around his waist.
The village Jew called out "Chag Someach" and stood lamely near Reb Alter's table. Reb Alter suddenly came to life, stood up and enthusiastically welcomed the stranger with a fervent handshake and hug. With twinkling eyes, he said, "Boruch habo, Reb Eliyahu Hanavi!" and he seated the stranger at the table and put a setting of cutlery and fancy dishes before him.
The stranger for his part was doing his best to play his role as a simple Jew. He studied the lavish table, but didn't say a word.
Reb Alter was shaking from emotion, wondering why he had merited that his deepest wishes were so suddenly fulfilled. He hardly knew what to say. His wife, too, was rooted in her seat, gawking at the stranger. Finally Reb Alter addressed the stranger, "Could I have the great merit of having you drink from the cup that I bought in your honor?"
The stranger looked up above, and then settled his eyes on Reb Alter's face. In a thick, hoarse voice, he asked him, "What do you need?"
Tears filled the eyes of Reb Alter and his wife. Sobbingly, they explained that they were childless and longed for a son who would give them nachas. The stranger drank most of the Eliyahu Hanavi's cup, and then took a small vial out of his pocket. He poured a few drops into his cup and offered it to Reb Alter and his wife to drink.
Reb Alter grasped the cup, and took a hearty drink of the wine. His wife, though, demurred, explaining that she only drinks grape juice and cannot handle the wine.
A smile appeared on the face of the stranger.
"Do not be so foolish!" her husband urged her. "The shirayim of Eliyahu Hanavi will bring only cures and salvations!"
Hesitatingly, Henya took the cup and brought it to her lips. She could not bring herself to take a proper drink, though, and only wet her lips.
Silence returned. The stranger again looked above as if he was praying, and then he rested his head on the table as if he was tired. The minutes ticked by until Reb Alter suddenly found himself overwhelmed by a heavy fatigue and he too fell back in his chair in a deep sleep. Henya found herself feeling the same way, and soon followed her husband.
As soon as the couple were soundly sleeping, the stranger stood up and took a sack out of his pocket. He began to lift one expensive dish after another from the table, and stuff it in the sack.
At this exact minute, another stranger walked into the room. He approached "Eliyahu Hanavi" whose hands at that moment were filled with silver cutlery and politely asked if he was the family servant.
"Eliyahu Hanavi" began to shake in fear and straightened up, but just then his beard was caught on a silver decanter, and it ripped off his face. The face that remained was indisputably that of the village drunkard Itzik's...
Itzik froze in his tracks, while fearfully eyeing the new stranger who had taken his sack from him and was calmly returning the precious dishes to the table.
The slight noise woke Henya from her sleep. At first she didn't know where she was, what time of day it was, and who were the two strangers in front of her. But as she peered closely, she recognized one of them to be Itzik. But who was that other stranger who was arranging the dishes on the table? The stranger finally addressed Itzik, "You're a Jew. How could you think of stealing?"
Itzik fell to the man's feet, and a torrent of tears burst out. "Forgive me! I promise I will never do it again!" Itzik then crawled out of the house in shame and shut the door behind him.
Henya's mind cleared, and she took courage in hand and asked the stranger who he was.
The stranger evasively replied, "On leil shimurim, Hashem guards the G-d-fearing who serve him wholeheartedly and long for His salvation." As the stranger headed for the door, he added, "May you have peace and experience a salvation!" Chag Someach!"
o o o
They say that that year, Reb Alter and his wife were remembered by the Almighty, and Henya gave birth to a son who grew up to be a tzaddik who merited a visitation from Eliyahu Hanavi.