בחמשה עשר יום לחודש השביעי הזה חג הסוכות שבעת ימים לה’… (אמור כג:לג)

Maran Admor of Belz shlita once related a story on Sukkos.

It was freezing one year of Sukkos in Belz, and the family of Maran, Reb Aharon of Belzzt’’l begged him to come into the house due to his frail health.  Reb Aharon, however, refused and backed his reasoning with a story.

“My grandfather, Reb Aharon of Chernobyl zt’’l, visited the tzion of his father, Reb Mordechai of Chernobyl zt’’l, on his Yahrzeit, the 20th of Iyur, in the town of Anatikva.  The custom in Chernobyl is to remove one’s shoes before entering the kever. It was frigid at the time, with snow-covered earth, and thus, Reb Aharon of Chernobyl stood and davened for a long time.  His gabbaim were worried about their Rebbe’s health and asked him to hurry and finish davening.  Reb Aharon told them, “At Kivrie Tzaddikim (burial sites of tzaddikim) that are not in Eretz Yisroel, one can feel the air of Eretz Yisrael – and in Eretz Yisrael, the climate is presently warm.”

Concluded Reb Aharon of Belz: “So too by me. My grandfather, Reb Yehoshua of Belz zt’’l, used to say, ‘The Sukkah environment is the same climate as in Eretz Yisroel’ – and therefore, I can remain sitting in the Sukkah despite the present cold!”

Filed under Parshas Emor | Rabbi Aharon of Belz | The Belzer Rebbe Shlita | The Mittler Rav