ונכרתה הנפש ההוא מישראל…(חקת יט:יג)

That person shall be cut off from the Yidden…

A Yid came to the Yismach Yisroel of Alexander zt’’l lamenting his plight. A competitor opened a store across from him, and many of his customers started shopping with his competitor, causing him to lose business.

The Rebbe wished him to have plentiful parnassah. The Yid, however, continued crying, so the Rebbe asked him, “Why are you crying?” The Yid replied, “I want the Rebbe to curse my competitor that he should die!”

The Rebbe was shocked and asked him, “How can you expect me to curse a Yid?” To which the Yid replied, “That person desecrates Shabbos publicly, eats chometz on Pesach…”

The Rebbe explained to him that every Yid’s neshama is tied to the Shechina with 36 knots, and in the Torah, there are 36 transgressions whose fate is death. If a person sins on all 36 transgressions, his ties with the Shechina can be severed. “Your competitor didn’t transgress on all 36 since he didn’t make the קטורת or anointed himself with the שמן המשחה. If so, his ties aren’t severed from Above, so how can I curse him?”

“I can only bless you that Hashem should send you ample parnassah.” The Rebbe’s bracha came to fruition, and the Yid was blessed with a bountiful livelihood.

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