Visitors to the historic Kazimierz district—the Jewish quarter of Krakow—are familiar with one of the ghetto’s most iconic places, Isaac Synagogue, on 18 Kupa Street.

It is also known as “Reb Isaac-Reb Yekel’s Shul” in honor of the special yid who built it in 1644, Reb Isaac ben Reb Yekel of Krakow. When the Germans occupied this historic shul, they destroyed the interior and furnishings, including the bimah and Aron Kodesh, but today, the shul has been restored and is active, and it is a meaningful attraction for visitors.

The revolutionary chasidic master, Reb Simcha Bunim of Peshischa encouraged his followers to focus on self-development through Torah study, individuality and a search for truth. Eschewing miracle-making and dependence on one’s rebbe, Reb Bunim insisted that closeness with the Ribono Shel Olam depends on pnimiyus, internal resources. He challenged his chasidim to search for self-reliance and to discover their own individual path in avodas Hashem, through hard work, intensive study and excavating their own inner world.

It is said that Reb Bunim would relate the maaseh of Reb Isaac ben Reb Yekel to new adherents interested in joining his court in Peshischa:

“Reb Isaac was an ehrlich, righteous Jew who lived by his faith. While struggling to make ends meet, he faced his poverty with emunah, doing his best to remain joyful and positive. One night, Reb Isaac dreamt of a chest filled with gold, a buried treasure, hidden under a bridge in far away Prague. He awoke with a start, chuckled to himself and paid the fantastical dream no attention. But when the strange dream repeated itself again and again, Isaac began to wonder … Could it possibly be true? Perhaps this was a sign—a message from on high—urging him to search out his fortune. But in Prague? Under a bridge?

“After a few nights of experiencing the same vivid dream, Reb Isaac set off, baderech (on the way). Arriving in the foreign land, he discovered that there was only one bridge in Prague: the famous Charles Bridge, which connected the city to the royal palace. This structure was under constant surveillance, heavily guarded by soldiers. Digging under the bridge was clearly out of the question.

“After having made the arduous journey, however, Reb Isaac was not going to give up so easily. Day after day, he checked to see if there was an opportunity to dig, until one of the guards confronted him and demanded an explanation for his loitering. ‘What exactly are you doing hanging around here every day under the bridge?’ Reb Isaac—a good, honest man—told the guard the truth about his dream and vision of treasure buried under Charles Bridge.

“The guard could barely control his laughter: ‘What a fool you are! Coming all this way to follow a silly dream? You must be crazy! Listen, I myself had a dream some time ago that some Jew from Krakow named “Isaac” has a chest of treasures buried under his hearth. I’d have to be completely crazy to pay attention to a nonsensical dream like that, and yet here you are on some wild good chase looking for gold under the king’s bridge? What did you say your name was and where were you from?’

“Without a word, Reb Isaac turned and ran as fast as he could to his carriage and sped back to Krakow. Arriving home, he began digging frantically under his hearth, practically demolishing the kitchen. His wife thought he’d gone crazy, but to Reb Isaac’s amazement, right there—under his own house—was a chest filled with precious stones and coins. Overwhelmed with gratitude to Hashem, Reb Isaac used some of his newfound wealth to dedicate a beautiful shul to benefit his community in Krakow that bears his name until today.”

~

Our sedra (14:33-57) details the process of recognizing and identifying tzara’at—including when the spiritual affliction is found in one’s home:

כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל־אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם לַאֲחֻזָּה וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת בְּבֵית אֶרֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶם:

“When you come to the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as a possession, and I place a lesion of tzara’at upon a house in the land of your possession … the Kohen shall order that they remove the stones upon which the lesion is (found), and they shall cast them away outside the city, to an unclean place.”

At first glance, demolishing one’s home because of tzara’at may seem a bit crazy. However, Rashi (14:34) points out the blessing in disguise for Am Yisrael: when the Canaani dwellers of Eretz Yisrael understood that they would be expelled from the land, they hid their precious valuables in the walls of their houses. When the Jews entered and conquered the land, they moved into the homes of the Canaanites, unaware of the treasures hidden within the walls. It was only when the tzara’at appeared and they performed the mitzvah of demolishing the “infected” walls, the hidden treasure was revealed.

A yid discovering hidden treasures had, sometimes, been living in poverty, struggling to make ends meet—not realizing that he was, in fact, a tremendously wealthy person all along.

And this was Reb Simcha Bunim’s intention in sharing the maaseh of Reb Isaac ben Reb Yekel. We so often seek solutions for our deficiencies—whether in gashmiyus or ruchniyus—far from home. True wealth and spiritual treasures lie exactly where we are, under our hearth, beneath the floorboards or within the walls of our own home and heart. Sometimes, we may need to experience a startling dream or a challenge, and we may set off on a circuitous route, but with Hashem’s help, we will eventually come home to who we really are, and recognize the immense treasure that has always been there.

Rav Judah Mischel is executive director of Camp HASC, the Hebrew Academy for Special Children. He is the founder of Tzama Nafshi and the author of the “Baderech” series. Rav Judah lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh with his wife Ora and their family.