The Miracle
In the meantime, Rabi Elazar’s wife returned home from an errand and asked her daughter: “Has your father returned home yet from the market?”
“Yes, he has, Mother, and he left for the Beis Medrash.”
“Did he bring you something for your wedding day?’
“I think he did,” replied the daughter.
“Well, tell me, urged the mother. “What was it? Did you see it?”
“No,” answered the daughter, “I believe that he put it in the granary.”
Hurrying to the granary, the wife opened the door and was almost knocked off her feet as a wave of grain burst forth from inside. The amazed woman stared incredulously. The entire building was filled from top to bottom with grain!
The wife could hardly wait for Rabi Elazar to return home. When she saw him coming she ran to meet him, and exclaimed: “Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good and has done wonderously with us.”
“What has happened?” asked Rabi Elazar in surprise.
“It is a miracle. Our entire barn is filled from top to bottom with wheat.”
Rabi Elazar could hardly believe his ears and rushed to the granary. There, just as his wife had said, the wheat burst forth in awesome waves.
“We have been blessed,” said his wife. “We can sell this wheat for a great deal of money.”
Rabi Elazar stood for a moment and shook his head. “No, my wife, we cannot take all the wheat.
“It was not our strength or our work that created this wheat. This is from the Almighty and we must share it with the poor of Israel.”
And he then announced to the poor of the town that they should come and take their share, along with him, of the miraculous wheat the Almighty had provided him.
Such was Rabi Elazar of Kfar Bartosa. Such is a man who not only gives tzedakkah but who also pursues it. May we have many more such men in our time so that we may emulate their ways.