Chassidic story & lesson

📜 The One-Ruble Deal for the World to Come 💎✨^[1]

Once, in a distant town, there lived a poor Jew 🧥🥖. His daughter had reached the age to marry, but his pockets were empty — only a single ruble remained. In despair, he went to the holy Rabbi of Apta 🙏 to seek mercy and advice.

The Rabbi asked:

“How much do you need for the wedding?”

The man replied: “I need one thousand rubles, but my purse is empty — I have only one ruble.”

The Rabbi said:

“Go in peace, and with the very first arrangement that is offered to you, take action — and God will save you from harm.”

The man wondered to himself: “What kind of business can I possibly do without money?” But he trusted the Rabbi’s words completely and set out for the fair in Lublin.

The Strange Bargain 🤝

At an inn in which he was staying, the man wandered without knowing what to do. He found himself near a table where merchants were displaying sparkling diamonds 💎.

One merchant, half-joking, asked:
“Do you want to buy a diamond?”
The man replied honestly: “I have only one ruble.”

The merchants laughed loudly 🤭. Then one of them, in jest, said:
“Fine, I’ll sell you my share in the World to Come for that ruble!”

The poor man agreed — but only if the sale was written, signed, and sealed ✍️. Amused, the merchant complied, took the ruble, and handed over the document.

The Merchant’s Wife 😱

Soon after, the merchant’s wife — the true owner of the diamond business — entered. Hearing the story, she turned pale.
“You sold your share in the World to Come?!” she cried. “I will not live with a man who is like a gentile with no portion in eternity! Give me a divorce!”

The merchant stammered: “It was just a joke!”
But she refused to listen.

The Negotiation 💰

Desperate, the merchant sent for the poor man.
“Please, take back your ruble and return the paper,” he pleaded.

“A deal is a deal,” the man replied firmly.

The merchant offered him a few rubles more. The man shook his head.
“I need 1,000 rubles — not a kopek less.”

The merchant raged: “For a worthless scrap of paper?!”
But the poor man stood his ground.

Finally, realizing there was no other way, the merchant paid the full 1,000 rubles 💵. The man returned the document, and the merchant’s wife calmed down.

The Rabbi’s Verdict 🕊️

The woman, still shaken, traveled with her husband to the Rabbi of Apta to ask:
“Rabbi, was my husband’s World to Come truly worth 1,000 rubles?”

The Rabbi smiled:
“When he sold it for one ruble, it wasn’t worth even that. But when he redeemed it for 1,000 rubles — and helped a poor Jew marry off his daughter — now it is worth far more than gold.” ✨

✨ The Takeaway

Even the smallest decisions and simplest acts can carry profound meaning and lasting impact. What may seem trivial or laughable to some can, in the end, change lives and reveal our true values. Integrity, faith, and standing firm for what is right—even in the face of ridicule—lead to both personal redemption and the uplifting of others.

[1] Sipurei Chassidim Zevin p. 285 story #505