ON REPENTANCE
R’ Aryeh Leib Schochet wrote that he grew up among the followers of R’ Refoel of Bershid, who often related the following incident: While R’ Refoel was visiting the town of Uman in the district of Kiev, an individual approached him with a request. R’ Refoel looked at the man and immediately accused him of having relations with a niddah [a woman during her time of ritual impurity]. The man began to yell at R’ Refoel, asking why he would falsely accuse him of such a horrible sin, especially in front of other people. When he saw that R’ Refoel was not responding to his question, he continued by yelling that R’ Refoel would be embarrassed when it was proven that he falsely accused him of such a deed. When the people in the room heard this, they forcefully pushed the man out of the room, and he went home. About 30 minutes later, the man reentered the room and, with tears in his eyes, said to R’ Refoel, “It isn’t enough that I committed this sin, but now I have spoken to you disrespectfully.” R’ Refoel then told the man that he envied him because of the broken heart he had. “For, how can anyone be as remorseful for having committed sins as you are now?”.*
Source: Two Tzaddiks
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