ויהי כי זקן יצחק ותכהין עיניו מראת (תולדות כז: א)

Yitzchak aged and lost his eyesight.

The holy tzaddik Reb Elimelech Rubin zt’’l, the Yavrover Rav (whose Yahrzeit was last week on כ’ חשון), was a grandson of the Sar Shalom of Belz zt’’l.  Reb Elimelech sadly lost his eyesight at age two, and his mother, Rebbetzin Aidel z’’l, the daughter of the Sar Shalom, bemoaned her child’s fate to her father.  The Sar Shalom promised her that “ער וועט זעהן וואס ער באדארפט צו זעהן – he will see what he has to see!”

Indeed, Reb Elimelech had an exceptional sense of smelling and tasting.   He couldn’t visually see, yet he could hold something in his hand and appraise the object’s worth, quality, and color.

Though Reb Elimelech was a renowned Rav, and had many chassidim, he still preferred to travel to Belz for Shabbosim and spend time in Belz with his uncle Reb Yissachar Dov of Belz zt’’l, who took over his grandfather’s mantle after his passing.  

When the chassidim used to await Reb Yissachar Dov to enter the room where the Tisch was to be held, Reb Elimelech, with his keen senses, used to announce that the Rebbe was coming.

When one of Reb Yissachar Dov’s daughters became engaged, the chosson’s family wanted to present her with pearls as a gift. Reb Yissachar Dov handed the pearls to Reb Elimelech to appraise its worth.  Reb Elimelech put the pearls in his mouth and appraised them for 200 Reinish, but since it had a small blemish, it wasn’t worth more than 80 Reinish. Indeed, the jeweler originally asked for 200 Reinish, but after noticing the blemish, went down in price to 80 Reinish.