Chapter 127

It was not long before midnight arrived and people began to awaken for Chatzos. I had been compelled to relieve myself and had done so in the caves beneath the houses in the courtyard. I therefore wished to go to the mikveh before entering the chamber of the holy tomb. The mikveh, however, was in utter darkness. On the eve of Shabbos they had lit some kind of glass oil lamp, but it had apparently fallen into the mikveh, leaving the room dark. I greatly desired someone to accompany me, but the others were still sleeping. One elderly member of our fellowship understood that I wished for a companion and entered the mikveh chamber with me, but because of the darkness we could see nothing at all.

Since I was familiar with the place, I felt with my hands until I found the stone bench beside the wall and seated the elderly man there. I warned him very strongly to sit still and turn neither right nor left, for with the slightest movement he could fall from above into the mikveh and might die, God forbid. He promised me that he would remain. I removed my clothing upon another bench near the stairs leading down into the mikveh, descended by the steps, and immersed several times, as was my custom.

When I completed the immersions and wished to emerge, the darkness and the mental confusion caused by immersing prevented me from finding the way out. Several times I felt my way around the entire mikveh from corner to corner, but could not locate the exit, and this caused me great anguish, and so forth. I spoke to the seated elderly man and heard his voice answering me. I then walked precisely away from the sound of his voice, because I had seated him against the wall above and near the mikveh, whereas the steps by which one entered and left were completely on the opposite side. Hearing his voice from one side, I therefore searched for the exit on the other. I could not find it, for I encountered a high wall that could not possibly be climbed. I did not know what counsel to take. I circled about in the mikveh for some time, while the elderly man urged me to emerge because he could not wait so long. I was terribly afraid that he might attempt to leave by himself, fall into the mikveh, God forbid, and die, God forbid, for the drop was very high.

I experienced great anguish and asked Hashem to help me. Hashem placed in my mind the idea of going toward the elderly man and feeling around there. I did so, found the steps, and climbed out. I found the elderly man standing there and asked whether he had remained in his original place or had moved. He was compelled to admit that he had left his first place. This was why I had erred. Even while I was in the mikveh I had asked whether he remained where I had seated him or had moved, and he had answered that he was still in his original place. I therefore knew that I had to move away from his location and search on the opposite side, as stated above; and I searched for the exit far from him. It never entered my mind that he had risen from his place and walked all the way to the entrance of the mikveh. I could have searched in the same manner throughout the entire night, until Hashem placed the thought in my mind as described above.

I rebuked him over this. In truth, a great miracle had occurred for him: it was much more likely that he would fall into the mikveh, as stated above, than that he would succeed in walking elsewhere. Only in Hashem’s mercy, in the merit of the tzadik, so that our Shabbos joy should not be disturbed, did Hashem help him not to fall into the mikveh. He had merely moved sideways until he stood near its entrance. We left the chamber, I washed my hands, entered the place of the holy tomb, and offered praise and thanksgiving to Hashem.