Story from Rav Michel Twerski on the Bal Hatanya's praise for the Rebbe Reb Zusha

[Ari Kotowitz]

Shavua Tov!

This is from a blog of written torah’s of Rav Michel Twerski the
hornenstiple rebbe of milwakee

What Simcha Can Achieve

Yesterday between Mincha and Maariv, the Rebbe told the following
story:

The Baal Hatanya once wrote a letter to Reb Zish of Anipoli,
addressing him as "HaGaon", meaning the "Torah genius". The Baal
Hatanya's chassidim wondered: While Reb Zisha was a great tzadik and
servant of the Almighty, he was hardly known for his great genius in
learning. In fact, Reb Zisha rarely said divrei Torah at all. Why
would the Baal Hatanya write a title like that regarding Reb Zisha?


The Baal Hatanya answered with a story: Once, a very distraught women
came to the MezritcherMagid and poured out her heart. Her husband
disappeared, leaving her with no means of supporting herself and her
children. She needed a heter so that she could remarry. The Maggid saw
that some details of her case pointed in her favor, so he called
together the great minds from amongst thetalmidim - Reb Shmiel Shmelka
of Nikolsburg, his brother the Haflaah, the Baal Hatanya and others -
to delve into the matter and try to find a way to free to this woman
to remarry.

The Rebbe Reb Zisha saw that there was a tumult, and casually asked
the other talmidim what the nature of their discussion was. They
explained the issue and Reb Zisha left. A little while later, Reb
Zisha returned to the group and mentioned how a particular Tosfos
could be understood in a slightly different manner than they had
learned it until then. Reb Zisha's pshat opened up a new way of
looking at the different sides of the halacha and allowed the talmidim
to ultimately permit the woman to remarry.

Astounded, the Baal Hatanya demanded to know how Reb Zisha came up
with such an innovative and ingenious understanding of the Tosfos,
since he was not known for his "good head".

In his characteristic humble simplicity, Reb Zisha explained, "I heard
that this poor women needed aheter. So I davened to the Master of the
World for an eitza how to help her. So He sent the Baal Hatosfos, the
author of that Tosfos, to teach me the new understanding."

"Is there a greater master of Torah than that?" asked the Baal Hatanya
to his chassidim. "One who can ask the very tzadikim who authored the
Torah themselves anything that is difficult to him - THAT is a real
gaon."

And with that the Baal Hatanya became lost in thought, until finally
he exclaimed, "What is my 'good head' worth in comparison to Reb Zisha
for he is always b'simcha!"

From here, the Rebbe said, we see that joy and happiness open
everything up to person. Even the loftiest heights of Torah can be
attained through the simcha of Reb Zisha.