Repaying His Hosts

As a young man, Reb Aharon of Belz zt’’l frequently visited the town of Nemerov.  He stayed in the home of the shochet (butcher) of Nemerov.  The shochet’s children treated Reb Aharon with the utmost respect and tended to his needs with devotion and awe, knowing that Reb Aharon was the son of the Belzer Rebbe, Reb Yissachar Dov zt’’l. Reb Aharon, in return, thanked them profusely each time and acknowledged their sincerity.

It happened that the shochet’s daughter suddenly became ill and doctors gave up on her.  The distraught shochet, not wanting to leave his daughter alone, sent a messenger to Reb Yissachar Dov of Belz with a kvittal (request) to daven and bless his daughter with a complete recovery.  The shochet also told the messenger to ask the Rebbe’s son, Reb Aharon for a blessing.

It was Erev Yom Tov when the messenger arrived to Belz.  To his dismay, there were lines of hundreds of chassidim who traveled to Belz to spend Yom Tov with the Rebbe, waiting to enter the Rebbe’s chambers to receive his blessings.

The messenger decided to meanwhile go to the Rebbe’s son Reb Aharon for a blessing.  Reb Aharon was in middle drinking a tea and holding a sugar cube in his hand when the messenger arrived to his home.  The messenger told Reb Aharon about the misfortune that struck the shochet’s daughter and asked Reb Aharon for a blessing.

Reb Aharon stood up and started walking around the table saying, “Yes, yes! I used to stay at their house and they graciously tended to my needs.  They fulfilled the mitzvah of Hachnosas Orchim to the highest degree…” Reb Aharon repeated this statement a few times before sitting back down and wishing the shochet’s daughter a refuah shelaima – a complete recovery.

The messenger stayed in Belz for Yom Tov.  When he returned to Nemerov, the shochet’s whole family awaited his arrival and joyously shared the good news that their daughter suddenly became well.

The shochet asked the messenger to share exact details of his encounters in Belz and realized that at the precise time the shochet was by Reb Aharon, his daughter became conscious.  When she came to, she told her father that she had a dream where Reb Aharon of Belz, who used to stay in their home, gave her a sugar cube to taste and wished her a refuah shelaima. After that she asked for something to drink and eat, and from that moment on, she hastily recovered. 

Filed under Parshas Vaeira | Rabbi Aharon of Belz | The Frierdige Rov