A Shabbat Story: The Mitzvah I Should Have Shared

His soul couldn’t bear the impurity in front of him. Day and night he sat in the beit midrash (study hall), learning Torah with incredible devotion. But whenever he rose to get a sefer (holy book) or a warm drink to refresh himself, his eyes were drawn to something that deeply pained him and his heart was disturbed.

Outside the window, just across from the study hall, stood a church. On its rooftop, the church had installed a large cross made of shiny metal, hoping to make their building more impressive. But for this young Torah scholar, seeing that cross every time he looked up during his learning was unbearable.

This young man was no ordinary scholar. He was the study partner of none other than the great Rabbi Yonatan Eybeschutz, the brilliant and holy Rabbi of Prague, known throughout the Jewish world for his sharp mind, deep wisdom, and extraordinary spiritual purity.

But even this close partnership could not calm the pain the young scholar felt. Day after day, he continued to be disturbed by the sight of the cross. Until one night, he decided he could no longer look the other way.

He waited until midnight, then quietly took a hammer and climbed onto the roof of the church. With just a few strong blows, the large metal cross crashed to the ground with a loud bang. The young man turned to leave as quickly as he could.

But as fate would have it, a group of drunk men who had just been kicked out of a nearby tavern heard the noise. Curious and unsteady, they looked around just in time to see a Jew climbing down from the church rooftop. He fell into their hands like a bird into a net.

The police were called. By the next morning, the entire town was in an uproar over what they saw as a bold act of desecration. A trial was quickly scheduled, but everyone already knew the verdict. It would be a show trial, and the sentence was obvious: death by hanging.

Rabbi Yonatan Eybeschutz could not rest. His dear friend, his chavruta (learning partner), was sitting in prison, facing certain death. He paced back and forth, trying to come up with a way to save him.

And then, he made a decision.

He went to a wooden chest that had been given to him as part of his dowry, money meant to support him if he ever chose to go into business. He opened the chest. Inside were ten thousand gold coins.

Without hesitation, Rabbi Yonatan closed the lid and made his way to the prison courtyard. A few coins given discreetly to a guard led to a whispered address: the prison guard’s home. That night, Rabbi Yonatan quietly went to the house and spoke with the guard. After some back and forth, the guard agreed to help. He would release the young man the following night in exchange for the entire dowry.

And so it was.

The next night, just outside the prison walls, the prisoner’s wife and family waited with a skilled smuggler. The guard kept his word. The scholar was freed and escaped safely with his family across the border.

Three days later, the prison guard suddenly showed up at Rabbi Yonatan’s home in a panic. “They’ve found out,” he whispered. “They’re coming for me. I have to run.” He shoved the heavy bag of gold coins into Rabbi Yonatan’s hands. “If I don’t return in three days, the money is yours.”

The next day, it was announced throughout the city: the prison guard had drowned in a river while fleeing the authorities. The current was strong, and in his hurry to cross, he was swept away.

Rabbi Yonatan held his head in his hands, overcome with emotion. He had given everything to save a fellow Jew. Why had the money come back to him? Why wasn’t the mitzvah of pidyon shvuyim (redeeming captives) fully accepted from him?

Then a message from Heaven was revealed to him.

Because he had taken the mitzvah upon himself alone without inviting the other Jews of the city to take part, it was arranged that the money would be returned to him. Not as a punishment, but as a lesson. Even when doing something holy, we are not meant to act only for ourselves. A mitzvah, even one as great as saving a life, should be shared with the entire community. No one should be left out, not even in spiritual matters.