R. Ziskind Kurnitzer was an outstanding chossid of the Alter Rebbe who was said to have ruach hakodesh. When a plague broke out in his town, he directed his shamash to take two stones from the cemetery and expose the sinners who were causing the plague.
R. Ziskind was a Rov in Kurenitz and the son of R. Zalman Kurnitzer, an outstanding chossid of the Alter Rebbe. He was great in Torah and Chassidus and was a devoted chossid of the Tzemach Tzedek. He was a baal madreiga and chassidim used to say that he had ruach hakodesh.
*
When Reb Hendel was a young man, before becoming a chossid, he went to Reb Ziskind of Kurenitz to watch his conduct.
It happened that Reb Hendel was going to sleep when Reb Ziskind got up for tikkun chatzos, after which he learned for a few hours. He then went to the mikvah and started preparing for shacharis. Seeing all this, Reb Hendel started doubting if he should become a chossid; it seemed too hard.
Later on in the day, Reb Hendel observed Reb Ziskind go about his activities. A woman came in and told him about someone who had fallen ill, and Reb Ziskind burst into tears. Later, he saw Reb Ziskind going out to ask someone to do a favor for another Yid in town.
Finally, Reb Hendel was ready to become a chossid. He went to Reb Ziskind and said, “I want to be a chossid. How does one do this? … but don’t make it too difficult.”
Reb Ziskind answered, “It is actually quite simple. The first step in Chassidus is Ahavas Yisroel.” And he proceeded to explain to Reb Hendel the meaning of Ahavas Yisroel according to Chassidus.
Reb Hendel indeed became a great chossid who was known for his endless Ahavas Yisroel.
*
There was once a terrible plague in Kurnitz, and many children were passing away r”l. R. Ziskind asked that everyone come to the main shul on a given date to daven to Hashem to avert the decree.
The night before, he instructed his shamash to go to the cemetery and take a small stone from atop two different graves. The shamash said that he was afraid to go at night to the cemetery all alone, but R. Ziskind gave him his staff and encouraged him.
When the shamash returned, R. Ziskind instructed him to place one stone at the entrance of the men’s section of the shul, and the other at the entrance of the women’s section. As people started pouring into shul the next day there was suddenly a tumult; a man had tripped over a stone and was badly hurt. When the doctor arrived the man was pronounced dead. The same thing happened to a woman in the women’s section.
It later emerged that these two people had been sinning, and had caused the plague. R. Ziskind had seen this with ruach hakodesh and arranged for the sinners to be caught. This brought an end to the plague.
*
On the day R. Ziskind passed away, when no one else thought that his time had come, he asked that the doctor, a kohen (who may not be under the same roof as a deceased person), leave the house, sensing that he was about to pass away.
For sources, visit TheWeeklyFarbrengen.com
Yasher koach for this inspiring story!