Anim Zemiros (223)

It happened once in a European shtetl that on the day after Yom Kippur the community arrived to the synagogue for morning prayers, only to find a member of the community dancing around the podium at the center of the synagogue, singing Anim Zemiros with great fervor. It turned out that the Jew was so engrossed in the melody that he had danced the entire night, not noticing that the fast had ended and that he hadn’t eaten for more than a day and a half!

The words of the niggun are from a Piut (poem) attributed to Rabbi Yehudah HaNossi (compiler of the Mishnah) called “Shir Hakavod.” It is found in Nusach Ashkanaz, in Shabbos Davening after Musaf. Before teaching this niggun the Rebbe explained that even though the Alter Rebbe didn’t put this poem in his Nusach, it’s still so lofty and holy and and rife with Kabbalistic meaning.

The Rebbe related this story and taught this melody on Simchas Torah, 5722. He explained that when a Jew completes the Yom Kippur fast he is joyous, having fulfilled G‑d’s commandment; however, he still feels a strong longing for the holiness of Yom Kippur.

There were rumors going around that the chossid in the story was the Rebbe. When Reuven Dunin came for yechidus he decided to clarify this once and for all, so he asked the Rebbe if the rumors were true. The Rebbe answered him that they weren’t and that the story happened with someone before the times of the Ba'al Shem Tov and he wasn’t even a poilisher chossid. The Rebbe then proceeded to recount the entire story:

“There lived a rich man that made it his business to go around and do Pidyon Shvuim, redeeming captives. One day he was passing by the local dungeon and he heard some cries. Right away, he headed to the Poritz, ready to free the man in captivity. The Poritz told him that the man would not be freed, for he named an exorbitant sum. The rich man was hesitant. Coming back home, his conscience started bothering him. He then proceeded to make a calculation of the value of his entire estate possessions. The value of came out to be the exact amount that it would take to free the Jewish man. He went ahead liquidated all of his possessions. Coming to the Poritz, he handed him the necessary sum. The Poritz burst out laughing as he opened up the dungeon. The man had already passed from this world.

Feeling very dejected and upset over throwing away all of his possessions, the now poor man wandered off and found a place to sleep. As he slept, he had a dream.

In his dream, there was a message from Above, that his money was not wasted. On the contrary, his actions deserved a reward. And he got two choices:

1. Get back his wealth plus much more.

Or

2. Get a taste of Gan Eden while still in this world.

This man picked the second choice. And it was then, when he was singing Anim Zemiros, that he was experiencing the revelation of the Olam Ha’emes.”

The Rebbe concluded, “With the choice that he made, we see that this man was not a chossid and that he lived before the times of the Ba'al Shem Tov. Had he been a chossid, he would have chosen the money in order to be able to continue doing Pidyon Shvuim.”