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The king of the Maggidim, Kab-
b. Jacob b. Wolf Kranz (1741-
1804), was popularly known as the
Dubner Maggid. His contempor
aries, Rabbi Jonathan Ebbershutz,
Rabbi Eliezer Fleckles and Rabbi
Judah b. Bezalel, were outstand
ing preachers. Rabbi Krantz occu
pied posts in Messeritz, Zolkiev,
Wlodawa, Kalisch and Zamosc. He
has come down to posterity as the
Maggid of Dubno—a town in Vol-
hynia where he spent 18 years. He
was the most popular preacher of
bis generation. Even Rabbi Elijah
b. Solomon, the Wilna Gaon (1720-
1797 enjoyed his company and de
lighted in his homilies. He made
use of the Mashal- — the parable,,
homely illustration to drive home
his lesson and through them a
niche in the hearts of his people.
A few examples of his methods
will suffice.
We read in Deuteronomy (Chap
ter XIII) “All this word which 1
commend you, ye shall observe
to do: thou shalt not add thereto
nor diminish from it.” The Dubner
comments: "We can well under
stand the anxiety of the Lawgiver
lest the people diminish from it
and fail to observe one of the 613
commandments. What, however, is
the purpose of stressing ‘Thou shalt
not add?’ Is there harm in being
over meticulous in the fulfilment
of God’s Law?” With a Mashal he
illuminated the Biblical passage.
A man once asked his neighbor
for the loan of a pot. On the fol
lowing day, the borrower grate
fully returned two pots. “Why are
you giving me two pots? Surely
I only gave you one.” “The pot
you gave me,” was the rejoinder,
“gave birth to another pot.” Some
time later the same man borrow
ed a bowl, and again he returned
two with the explanation that the
bowl begot another one. Eventual
ly he asked for the loan of a pair
of expensive silver candlesticks.
Some time elapsed and the preci
ous objects were not returned.
Anxiously the lender inquired for
them. “My friend,” he was sol
emnly told “I regret to inform you
that the candlesticks are dead.”
“My candlesticks are dead! How
can inanimate objects die?” Well,
you believed that the pots and the
bowls had given birth to pots and
bowls; you can also believe that
candlesticks are mortal. “Similar
ly,” concluded the Dubner Maggid
“If one adds to the Laws, there is
the danger that one might event
ually detract from them.”
On Rosh Hashonah and Yom
Kippur, the Dubner brought home
to his listeners the true signifi
cance of the “Days of Awe.”
There was once a peasant who
lived in the country. He was sim
ple, unsophisticated, entirely un
worldly. Once he ventured to visit
the city of Minsk. He felt almost
intoxicated with the sights of the
big town, the houses, the streets,
the shops; a new world was open
ing before his very eyes. Sudden
ly he observed a man beating a
very large drum. On inquiring, he
was told that a fire had broken
out in the town. The peasant was
greatly impressed. With all his
available resources he purchased a
big drum, and returned happily
to his native villagers were athirst
for news. He was overwhelmed
with questions and many earnest
ly and persistently solicited for his
impressions of town life. The
peasant, however, was not respon
sive. Nothing would induce him to
part with his newly acquired
knowledge. Eventually he said.
“Wait till a fire breaks out. I have
a new method for putting out
fires.” His wish was fulfilled soon
er than he had dared to hope. A
fire broke out in the village. The
inhabitants of the village were
about to rush for buckets and
water. To their amazement, they
were obstructed by the peasant.
‘I have a new way of putting out
fires’ he exclaimed. He brought
out his drum and incessantly began
to beat it. Naturally the entire vil
lage was burned down. The peas
ant then realized, alas too late,
that the drum was merely a meth
od of arousing the people, and that
by itself it is powerless and no
avail. Similarly,” continued the
Preacher “it is not enough to beat
your breasts on Yom Kippur and
to recite ‘For the transgressions’
that we have transgressed ... we
have to become truly penitent."
On another occasion, he used
another mashal. ‘There was once a
timber merchant, a Jew, who was
blessed, as was customary then,
with a very large family. He would
buy his wood on credit from a
wholesaler in Danzig and every
year before Rosh Hashanah would
go to his creditor to pay him and
to take a new stock on credit. This
was his custom for many years.
Then once a calamity overtook him
and his entire stock was burned
down. The man was in a great di
lemma. He was faced with the
prospect of starvation; he could
neither pay back his debts nor find
the courage to ask his creditor for
a new supply. The vision of his
starving children and demanding
wife gave him courage. He went to
his creditor and burst into tears.
He told him that he was not in a
position to repay him nor did he
feel justified in asking for new
credit. He was, however, pleasant
ly surprised when he was told that
his entire debt would be remitted
and that a new stock would be
given him. Overjoyed, the man
stopped at an inn and told the peo
ple that, as a result of his tears
and supplications, he had been
generously rewarded; his debts
were cancelled and he was actual
ly given a new supply of goods.
When one of the people at the inn
heard this he rushed to the bene
factor and he too cried very bit
terly. He exclaimed his dire eco
nomic plight but was, however,
a very small donation. The man
brazenly remonstrated “The men
who preceded me cried to you, and
you were so generous and full of
human pity. Why, 1 pray you are
you so sparing with me?” "Well,”
said the wholesaler, “How dare
you compare yourself to him? He
was my reliable customer for many
years; he was regular in his pay
ments; he was honest, decent and
hardworking; now that a calamity
has overtaken him I naturally
have to be generous and kind.
However, I hardly know you, a
complete stranger to me: how can
you expect me to give more than
a small donation?” So the Dubner
said “Our fathers and forefathers
were regular customers of the Al
mighty, and if, in the course of
the year, they committed sins of
either omission or commission,
they were fully aware of the
credits and the dividends that the
Almighty owed them. What about
ourselves? Are we God’s custo
mers? ...”
These were some of the Mesh-
alim through which the Dubner
endeavored to bring back the chil
dren of Israel to their father in
Heaven.
the Preacher
of Dubno
by H. RABINOWICZ