What would you do if I gave you my wallet?
Ari Kotowitz
The Kotzker Rebbe was a very interesting Rebbe. He was known to be
very different then the rest of the Rebbes since regularly he would
yell at his students that they are liars or not being 100% truthful
with themselves.he would also spend extremely long periods of time in
seclusion. He believed that every single day one must introspect all
of his actions to know why one is doing what each action. One must
never do an action only because he did it the day before. Rabbi Citron
said that one of the reasons the Kotzkers approach is not found today
is because it was too hard to follow.
The Kotzker Rebbe once asked one of his students that if he would give
him his wallet what would his student do with it. The student
responded that he would give all the money to Tzedaka and the Rebbe
yelled at him, "You're a liar!" The Rebbe asked the next student and
he said he would take all the money and spend it on a vacation to
which the Rebbe yelled, "Your also a liar!" The Kotzker then then
asked the third student what he would do with the money and he
responded that he doesn't know what he will do until the money is in
his hands. The Kotzker was so happy and he said "you are the only
truthful one since one cannot know what he will do in each situation
until he is in it."
Another story is about the chasidim of the Kotzker who liked to play
jokes on the newcomers. This time someone who was not a chasid came to
the the beis medrish so the chassidim woke up very early the next
morning and davened and went back to sleep before the newcomer woke
up. This newcomer woke up and saw everyone sleeping and realized it
was almost past the time for saying shema so he went down to the beis
medresh and was very confused as to why they haven't started davening
yet so he sees an old man with a white beard and goes over to him. He
asks the old man why the chassiddim have not started to daven yet. the
old man responds to the newcomer that he does not know but you have to
have a lichayim and cake before you daven since its a chasidishe
place. As the newcomer is drinking the lichayim the chassidim come
down and yell at him asking why he is drinking alcohol before
davening. He responds that the old man with a white beard told him he
has to. The chassidim the ridicule him for doing something just
because an old man with a white beard told him to do so. This is how
they accustomed the new people to the approach of the Kotzker.
Every one should have a shavua tov and chodesh tov!