KOSHER MILK

When the holy Belzer Rav zt’’l was in the ghetto during the Holocaust, there was a Yid who would bring him a fresh cup of milk each day. This Yid had befriended a local non-Jew who owned a cow, and he would personally observe the milking to avoid any issue of chalav akum (milk milked by a non-Jew without Jewish supervision).’

One day, due to increased German patrols in the area, the Yid was delayed. By the time he arrived, the cow had already been milked. He reasoned that the milk was still permitted, since the non-Jew was aware that the Yid could show up at any moment—under such circumstances, the milk is considered Kosher.

He brought the milk to the Rav zt’’l as usual. That day, the Rav asked him, “Were you present when the cow was milked?”

The Yid, unable to hide the truth, admitted that he had arrived only after the milking had already taken place.

The holy Rav zt’’l gently replied: “There are many weak and sick Yidden in the ghetto who need the milk more than I do. Please take it to them instead…”

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