הנס של ר' גרשון מקיטוב

Once, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem-Tov saw that a terrible decree had been passed on Israel, that the oral Torah would be consumed from them, peace be upon them. The Beshat called his brother-in-law Rabbi Gershon of Kitov and said to him: "Know, my brother-in-law, that all of Israel is in great trouble, because it has been decreed that the oral Torah will be taken from them... Get up quickly and go up to Hebron and enter the Cave of the Patriarchs and say to the holy fathers: Fathers of the world, Clal Israel informs you that he is now in great trouble, that they want to deprive him of the oral Torah, therefore ask for mercy."

Rabbi Gershon went to Hebron and asked to enter the Cave of the Patriarchs. Ishmaeli ran against him to kill him. Rabbi Gershon gave him a gold coin and ran away. And so he did on the second day and the third day and the fourth day. That day, crying and pleading, he asked the Ishmaelite to let him enter the Cave of the Patriarchs and gave him a gold coin. Ishmaeli was filled with compassion for him and gave him permission, and also stood and showed him the way there and told him: "Don't stay there long, because in an hour the guard will change."

Rabbi Gershon entered and said in front of the graves of the ancestors what his brother-in-law the Beshat had commanded him. And immediately a great terror and darkness fell upon him and his heart was cut off. In the meantime the guard was changed and the minister came and saw a Jewish man in the courtyard of the chapel. They seized him and threw him into the prison to serve his sentence by some death.

And it came to pass on the fifth day, and the owner of the 'light of life' had many longings for Rabbi Gershon, and they searched for him throughout the city and he was not found. But when he heard from people whispering that a Jew had been captured in the Cave of the Patriarchs, he realized that it was R. Gershon, and he was bitterly grieved and sought to be comforted. And all night he put his head between his knees and shouted: "Oh my brother! Oh my brother!"

On Friday morning, the order went out to burn Rabbi Gershon. When Rabbi "Or Ha'im" heard this, he went all over the city and cried out a loud and bitter cry. And when it was time to pray on Shabbat eve, Rabbi Gershon opened the door and happily said: "Good Shabbat!" Out of joy and happiness, words were lost from them, and the soul of the owner of the 'Light of Life' almost blossomed.

(Sefer Hebron 'Khal Hasidim')