ואהבת לרעך כמוך אני ה’ (קדושים יט:יח)

The Shomrei Emunim Rebbe zt’’l related that he once spent a Shabbos in Tel Aviv with Maran, Reb Aharon of Belz zt’’l.  As was Reb Aharon’s custom, he used to take a break of a half hour to an hour and go to his room before Shalosh Seudos. That week, the break was extended for about four hours.  Reb Henoch Padwa zt’’l asked the gabbai, R’ Shulem Fogel z’’l, why there’s such a long break.

R’ Shulem told him that on the way into his room, a Sefardic Yid came to Reb Aharon to be ‘mazkir’ (mention a name for a bracha), his wife who was experiencing traumatic labor.  Maran went into his room to daven, and we couldn’t disturb Maran from coming in for Shalosh Seudos.  But now, after four hours, it seems the woman has given birth, and Maran is coming into Shalosh Seudos.

The Shomrie Emunim Rebbe concluded: From this story, you can see the ‘Ahavas Yisroel’ from Maran, Reb Aharon of Belz.  Though the Rebbe was weak and needed to be carried on his chair at the time, he still felt the pain of each Yid and stood in prayer for hours to help a Yid experiencing difficulty. “Since the Holy Barditchever Rebbe zt’’l, there wasn’t such a ‘malitz tov’ for Yiddishe Kinder like Maran, Reb Aharon zt’’l.”

Filed under Parshas Kedoshim | Reb Aharon of Belz