The Chavrusa-shaft: Reb Shmekle and the Baal Hafloah

I have to tell you something about Reb Shmelkie, it's a good story. The Rebbe Reb Shmelke, he was learning in his yeshiva, and he always put spices in front of him. So the room was smelling so good. Everybody thought it was smelling so good from the spices. Then the Heilage Lubliner one time went behind the spices, [and took them away. And it still smelled so good. So everybody knew it was the Rebbe who smelled so good and he just put the spices there to cover up.]

Remember the Rebbe Reb Shmelkie's mother and those two brothers. The mother would say, "I have two sons, One doesn't say "Kriyat Shema l'mitah", (the prayer said upon going to sleep) and one doesn't bentch (say the prayer after a meal).

The one that doesn't bentch because he never eats, and the other one who doesn't say "Kriyat Shema al haMitah", because he doesn't sleep.

And this is a story that I heard from the Klausenberger. The Klausenberger told the story that the Haflaoh and Reb Shmelke were together and you know, Reb Shmelke didn't sleep. And the Haflaoh was learning, learning, learning, and he said, "Listen brother, I'm at the end. I don't know how you do it, but I'm at the end." He goes into the next room, he gets the blanket, and a cushion, and he lies down on the floor. And the Rebbe Shmelkie begins to cry. He says, "Oy vey, I have a brother, a liar. He says he doesn't have koach anymore, but you had the koach to get the cushion and blanket...." Gevaldt..