A Shabbat Story: The Baal Shem Tov Saved Their Marriage Just in Time

Everyone called him Shimshon the Diligent. He was known for his deep devotion to Torah study and learned under Rabbi Moshe of Kitses, in the town of Mezhibuzh where the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement, also lived.

One day, a wealthy Jew named Reb Aharon came from the city of Kamenitz to seek a Torah scholar for his daughter. He turned to the Baal Shem Tov for guidance. The Baal Shem Tov sent him to Rabbi Moshe of Kitses, who suggested Shimshon. Shimshon agreed to the match on one condition: that he would be allowed to dedicate his life fully to Torah learning.

The wedding was celebrated with great joy. True to his word, Shimshon spent every day in the beit midrash (study hall), learning Torah from morning until night. The first year passed peacefully and happily.

But then, the whispers began. The young wife’s friends began to tease her. They spoke proudly of how their husbands were earning money and succeeding in business, while her husband just sat and studied. Their words wore her down.

Eventually, she began pressuring Shimshon to go into business. She even asked her father and relatives to convince him. Reluctantly, after much pressure, Shimshon agreed.

Reb Aharon outfitted his son-in-law with merchandise, a wagon, and servants, and sent him off to the great trade fair in the city of Balta. Shimshon sold the merchandise and, from the profits, set aside a generous amount for his wife, which he sent home with the servants. He told them he was heading to Odessa to purchase more goods.

But days turned into weeks, and then months, with no word from him. After a year, Reb Aharon sent two of his servants to search for his missing son-in-law. He even wrote a letter to be given to any local rabbi, requesting a get (Jewish divorce document) for his daughter if Shimshon was found.

The two servants traveled from town to town, searching every study hall, but they couldn’t find Shimshon anywhere. Eventually, they assumed he had either died or been killed and they decided to forge a get so the woman could move on with her life.

Here was their plan: one of the servants went to the city of Rashkov and pretended to be Shimshon. He stayed there long enough to be recognized by locals. Then the second servant came to the city and began asking around: “Is there a man here named Shimshon who left his wife behind?”

The townspeople brought the impersonator to the local rabbi. He admitted he was Shimshon and agreed to write a get. The rabbi believed the story, and the forged get was written and delivered. The two servants then reunited and returned to Kamenitz, receiving a handsome reward from Reb Aharon.

Time passed, and the young woman eventually became engaged to a merchant. The wedding was set for the day after Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of comfort after Tisha B’Av.

On that Shabbat, the Baal Shem Tov turned to Rabbi Moshe of Kitses and asked him to come on a journey. The wagon rode through the night, and just before sunrise, it stopped outside an inn.

In the courtyard, they saw none other than Reb Shimshon. He was sitting peacefully, teaching Torah to two boys.

Shimshon explained, “I couldn’t handle the pressure to leave my Torah learning and go into business. So I left everything behind and came here, where I found a way to support myself by teaching Torah. I’ve been learning in peace ever since.”

“Do you know,” the Baal Shem Tov asked him gently, “that your wife is about to marry someone else tomorrow based on a forged get?”

Shimshon was shocked. Without hesitation, he joined the Baal Shem Tov and Rabbi Moshe on their return journey to Kamenitz.

Back in town, the Baal Shem Tov gathered the city’s rabbi and the two servants who had delivered the forged document. He questioned them carefully, and soon they confessed to the entire scheme. Then the Baal Shem Tov presented the real Shimshon, the missing groom.

The wedding was canceled, and the Baal Shem Tov made a heartfelt suggestion: the wedding feast should be turned into a meal for the poor. He then spoke to Reb Aharon.

“You agreed to this match on the condition that your son-in-law would dedicate his life to Torah study,” he reminded him. “Keep that promise. If you support him in his learning, you will see much blessing from this young couple.”

And so, Shimshon returned to his Torah, with the support and understanding of his family, and the young couple resumed the life of learning they had originally dreamed of.