ושמת את המצנפת על ראשו…(תצוה  כט:ו)

In the minyan of the Baal HaTanya zt”l, it was customary to place a special shtreimel on the head of the one receiving an aliyah (being called up to the Torah). The regular worshippers were accustomed to this practice and prepared for it. However, on one occasion, a stranger — a wayward Yid — joined the minyan, and when he was called up to the Torah, the designated shtreimel could not be found.

Without hesitation, the shamash took the Rebbe’s own shtreimel and placed it on the guest’s head. After the aliyah, he quietly returned it to its place, as if nothing had happened.

Later, when the Baal HaTanya put on his shtreimel, he immediately asked the shamash, “Who wore my shtreimel?”

When the shamash explained what had occurred, the Rebbe instructed him to remove the shtreimal’s threads and replace them with new ones. The shamash complied. After resewing it, he placed the shtreimel in the oven, as required in the finishing process.

To his dismay, he forgot about it and left it there overnight.

By morning, the shtreimel had burned.

Terrified and brokenhearted, pale with fear, the shamash went to the Rebbe to confess what had happened.

“What happened?” the Rebbe asked, with a subtle smile. “The shtreimel burned?”

“Yes,” the shamash replied.

“It is not a problem,” said the Rebbe. “Boruch Hashem, I will not need to use such a shtreimel.”