אות - קס

I heard this in the name of the man who attended to the Rebbe in his youth. The Rebbe would often fast from Shabbat to Shabbat (see “ His Praises ” #9) . On a Wednesday, in the middle of one such fast, blood began flowing from his nose, eyes, ears and mouth. His attendant started screaming, saying that he would raise an alarm in the house because the Rebbe was so faint.

The Rebbe wisely calmed him down, saying, “This is the way of such a fast. It becomes most difficult in the middle of the week, but tomorrow you will see that it will be easier for me.”

The Rebbe had made his attendant take an oath not to tell anyone about his fasts, so he had to keep it to himself.

During another such fast, the Rebbe became so faint in the middle of the week that he had to take to his bed and raise his feet on the bedpost.