Ga'al Yisrael or Go'el Yisrael

Ga'al Yisrael or Go'el Yisrael In a village near the town of Kolbasov, a Jew leased a tavern, which was the source of his parnasah (livelihood). It happened that business was going badly, there was no income, and he owed a large sum of money to the landowner, the master of the village. The landowner demanded his money many times and threatened him, but the Jew had no money at all, and his family was barely surviving. On the morning of Shabbat HaGadol, the landowner sent his henchmen to the Jew's home. They caused a terrible scene: they shouted, beat people, smashed dishes, poured out a pot of food, and spilled slop all over the floor. After they left, the house was in complete disarray. To escape the sound of weeping and take his mind off things, the Jew went to the synagogue to hear the traditional Shabbat HaGadol drashah delivered by the rabbi. At that time, the Rav in Kolbasov was Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apta, the “Ohev Yisrael.” The Jew entered the synagogue in the middle of the drashah and heard: “There are two forms of the blessing in the prayer:

“Gaal (גאל‎) Yisrael”—meaning ‘who redeemed Israel,’ in the past tense; and
“Goel (גואל) Yisrael”—meaning ‘who redeems Israel,’ in the present tense.

The blessing in the past tense refers to the redemption from Egypt. But the blessing in the present tense refers to all times. Even if somewhere in a village there lives a Jew who has no way to pay his rent, and the landowner has sent his henchmen to wreak havoc in his home, he too will ultimately merit salvation.” This encouraged the Jew so greatly that he went home, cheerfully humming, “Go'el Yisrael! Go'el Yisrael!” He told his family what he had heard, continuing to dance and sing. Meanwhile, the landowner sent a servant to see whether the Jew had understood the lesson. The servant returned and reported that the Jew was dancing and singing. The landowner decided that he had gone mad and sent for him. —“Do you know why you cannot pay your debts?”—the landowner asked, and then answered himself: —“Because you have no money. I will give you a letter to the distillery; there you can take vodka on credit. Go and try your luck once more.” The Jew's business began to thrive. Within a few days, before Pesach, he managed to pay off all his debts and even put some money aside for the future. On the eve of Pesach, he came to the Rebbe, handed him a pouch of money, and said: This is your payment for “Go'el Yisrael.” (Published with the permission of Rav Yaakov Doctor, from the book “At the Shabbat Table”)

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Tags: Go'al Yisrael or Go'el Yisrael

10 Mar 2025

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