וּבְיוֹם רִאשׁוֹן דְּחֹל הַמּוֹעֵד הָלַךְ הָאִישׁ לְהֶחָכָם, וְצִוָּה לוֹ הֶחָכָם: לִקַּח בִּגְנֵבָה כָּל הַמָּעוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶם וְלַהֲבִיאוֹ הָעִיר, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִגְזֹל מֵהֶם מְעוֹתֵיהֶם. וְעָשָׂה כָּךְ. On the first day of Chol HaMoed, the Rebbe's attendant returned to the sage’s house. The sage advised him to smuggle all their money out of the ship so the captain would not be able to steal it.
אַחַר־כָּךְ הָלַךְ הֶחָכָם עִם שְׁנֵי גְּבִירִים וְאָמְרוּ לְהַקַּפִּיטָן: "תֵּן לָנוּ שְׁנֵי הַנְּפָשׁוֹת הַלָּלוּ". This accomplished, the sage went to the captain together with two prominent members of the community. They said, “Give us the two Jews you are holding.”
וְהֵשִׁיב לָהֶם: "מַה שַּׁיָּכוּת יֵשׁ לָכֶם לַנְּפָשׁוֹת הָאֵלֶּה? אֲנִי מֵהֶפְקֵר זָכִיתִי בָּהֶם!". “What business do you have with them?" the captain replied. "When they came on board, they belonged to no one!”
וְסִפֵּר לָהֶם אֶת כָּל הַתְּלָאוֹת אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתַם בַּדֶּרֶךְ. וְאָמַר: "וְלֹא זֹאת בִּלְבַד מַה שֶּׁאֲנִי מְסַפֵּר לָכֶם, אֶלָּא שֶׁכִּמְעַט לֹא הָיָה רֶגַע בְּלֹא פֶּגַע. וְאֵלּוּ הַנְּפָשׁוֹת כְּבָר הָיִינוּ יְכוֹלִים לְטָבְעָם בַּיָּם אוֹ לְמָכְרָם לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִים וְכָל הַמָּעוֹת וְהַחֲפָצִים שֶׁלָּהֶם הָיוּ הַכֹּל שֶׁלָּנוּ בְּאֵין פּוֹצֶה פֶּה וּמְצַפְצֵף כְּלָל. The captain proceeded to tell them about all the travail that had befallen them on the way (Exodus 18:8). He added, “What I told you is nothing! During the entire voyage there was not an instant without distress.64In Hebrew, ein rega belo pega; Shelah 2:138a, quoted in "His Wisdom" #308. We could have drowned these two or sold them to the Arabs long ago, and all their money and possessions would have been ours. No one at all would have said a word or complained (cf. Isaiah 10:14).
אַךְ מַה לַּעֲשׂוֹת כִּי מַזָּלָם גָּדוֹל עַד לֵב הַשָּׁמַיִם, כִּי לֹא דַּי שֶׁה' יִתְבָּרַךְ עָשָׂה לָהֶם נֵס כָּזֶה שֶׁבְּמַזָּלָם הִגִּיעַ פִּתְאֹם הַסְּפִינָה לְפֹה, אַף גַּם זֹאת נַעֲשָׂה לָהֶם נֵס בְּתוֹךְ נֵס שֶׁה' יִתְבָּרַךְ הֵסִיר לִבִּי וְסִכֵּל אֶת דַּעְתִּי עַד שֶׁלָּקַחְתִּי אֶת אֶחָד מֵהֶם לְתוֹךְ הָעִיר הַזֹּאת. “But now, what can I do? These two must have luck that reaches to the high heavens. First of all, God performed a miracle and the ship found its way here. This would have been enough! But then there was a miracle within a miracle (Shabbat 97a), and God made me crazy enough to actually bring one of them into the city.
וְעַכְשָׁו בְּוַדַּאי שׁוּב אֵינִי רַשַּׁאי אֲפִלּוּ לִקַּח מְעוֹתֵיהֶם, רַק כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִתְרַעֲמוּ הָעֲבָדִים שֶׁלִּי, תְּנוּ לִי מָאתַיִם טָאלֶער וּקְחוּ אוֹתָם מֵעַל הַסְּפִינָה". “After all this, I really have no right to their money. So give me two hundred thaler to satisfy my crew, and take them!”
וְכָךְ הָיָה, שֶׁנָּתְנוּ לוֹ מִיָּד כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר, וְהִצִּילוּ אוֹתָם מִיַּד הַגַּזְלָנִים, מִמָּוֶת לְחַיִּים, מִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה. They gave the captain the sum and the Rebbe and his attendant were saved. They were redeemed from death to life, from captivity to freedom.