The Rusty Coin That Opened a Heart

In a quiet Jewish town in Russia, the community was excitedly preparing for a beautiful wedding between two orphans. Everyone joined in the mitzvah of helping the bride and groom begin their new life, some donated dishes, others gave a wedding dress or a suit. Each person did their part with joy.

But just hours before the chuppah (wedding ceremony), heartbreaking news spread through the town. The groom had been arrested by the local police commander and taken to be drafted into the Tsar’s army. In those days, under Tsar Alexander I, being conscripted into the army could mean many years of service, sometimes never returning home at all. A groom on his wedding day was the one chosen to be taken.

There was still one way to save him. It was known that with a large enough payment, soldiers could be released but this particular commander was known for his hatred of Jews. He had chosen the groom on purpose and angrily refused when a delegation of Jewish community leaders came to plead with him. He even threatened to send them to Siberia if they dared return.

Desperate and heartbroken, the townspeople didn’t know where to turn. Then, at that very moment, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi arrived. He had been involved in making the match and had come to celebrate with the couple only to find the town in mourning.

When he heard what had happened, he quickly called for the town rabbi and suggested they go together to speak with the commander. Despite the danger, the rabbi agreed.

When the commander saw them, he was furious. But something about Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s calm and holy presence made him hesitate. Instead of yelling, he asked what they wanted.

“We’ve come to ask for the release of the groom,” said the Rebbe. “We’re prepared to pay you.”

The commander replied coldly, “His release will cost one thousand rubles.”

Without hesitation, the Rebbe answered, “You will have the money before sunset.”

As they walked away, the town rabbi turned to the Rebbe, worried. “How can we possibly raise such a huge sum in just a few hours? Our town is poor!”

Back at the rabbi’s home, they began listing the names of people who might be able to help. When Rabbi Shneur Zalman noticed that the town’s wealthiest man wasn’t on the list, he asked why.

“He’s the stingiest man in town,” the rabbi explained. “He only gives one coin to anyone who asks. Even the beggars have stopped trying.”

But Rabbi Shneur Zalman insisted. “Put him at the top of the list,” he said gently.

And so, they went to see the wealthy man first. He greeted them warmly. The Rebbe explained why they had come and that they needed a thousand rubles to save a groom from the army and let him marry that very evening.

The man went to his iron safe and pulled out a small, rusty coin. Smiling, he handed it to Rabbi Shneur Zalman. “This is my donation.”

The town rabbi was shocked and angry. How could the man offer such a small coin in a time of such urgent need? But before he could speak, Rabbi Shneur Zalman accepted the coin with a smile and said, “May you be blessed with many mitzvot.”

They turned to leave. Suddenly, the man ran after them.

“Forgive me, Rabbi,” he said. “I gave too little. Here, take a full ruble.”

Rabbi Shneur Zalman thanked him warmly and turned to go.

“Wait, Rabbi! Please… take ten rubles instead.”

The Rebbe again accepted the donation with gratitude. This repeated itself again and again, the man running after them, offering more and more until tears filled his eyes and his voice broke.

“Rabbi,” he said, sobbing, “a long time ago, I gave a poor man a coin, and he threw it back in my face. I was so hurt that I made a vow: from now on, I would only give that same coin to anyone who asked. And no one ever accepted it. Over the years, the coin sat in my safe and rusted. No one ever thanked me... until you.”

“You were the first to take it, to thank me. Because of you, I feel free. You’ve broken my vow and opened my heart.”

He wiped his tears and said, “Now I want to give the full amount, one thousand rubles to redeem the groom. May this be a tikkun (spiritual repair) for all the years I closed my heart to giving.”

That night, the wedding took place as planned, with joy and dancing that went on late into the night. But the story didn’t end there.

Suddenly, the town heard shocking news. The cruel police commander had gone out with friends and was riding his horse across the bridge when the animal became wild. The commander fell into the river below and drowned.

The next morning, the groom went to immerse himself in the river as part of a spiritual preparation. There, on the riverbank, he found a leather wallet. Inside was exactly one thousand rubles.

He ran to the town rabbi and showed him what he had found.

The rabbi smiled and said with emotion, “This money belongs to you, without question. It is a wedding gift from Hashem.”

This true story appears in Oded Mizrachi’s book Ein Ro’eh (The Seeing Eye), published by Rosh Yehudi.