By Rabbi Yechiel Spero
Ever since he had been forcibly separated from his wife and children, upon his arrival at the dreaded death camp of Sobibor, Nachman Frietag felt as though his will to live had gone up in smoke together with his family. With no desire to live any longer, he was determined to put an end to his misery and take his own life.
After giving the matter a lot of thought, he decided that after work he would throw himself at the barbed-wire fence. The voltage running through the wires was powerful enough to electrocute him in a matter of seconds. It was the only sure way.
Nachman’s daily routine consisted of heavy lifting, usually of logs or bricks. Now he stared at the mound of logs, the only thing separating him from death. He would finish moving them to the other end of the field and then he would die. It was as simple as that. Slowly the pile diminished and Nachman drew closer and closer to his end. Twenty logs remained. Ten...five...And then he came to the final one.
He No Longer Cared to Live
He bent down, and although his back was sore and his fingers were bleeding, a bizarre tranquility permeated him. As he moved in slow motion, he pictured the faces of his Mendy and Yanky, his Rochele and Tzirel. “I’ll be with you soon, children.” Step by step. Closer. But he no longer cared. Because if no one else did, then why should he?
Finally, he bent down and placed the last log on the ground. But as he straightened up, he leaned forward to get a closer look at something he saw - something impossible. Although the glare of the setting sun made it difficult to see, he stared and leaned closer. There it was. An unmistakable message was carved into the wood of the log. Nachman squinted as he tried to make out the words. What he saw would save his life.
“Nesah Yisrael Lo Yeshaker - The Eternal One of Israel will not fail!”
A whirlwind of emotions erupted within Nachman’s mind, heart and soul. Why would someone have carved this, if not with the hope that some lost soul would see it and gain encouragement? The thought struck Nachman, “Someone does care.” He looked up and saw the German guard’s face contorted into a sick, twisted grimace.
A New Determination to Live On
“I can’t let them win. I must fight on. My children will have to wait a little bit longer.” Nachman glanced around. Another man had stumbled and needed help getting up. Nachman, now determined to live, stood up, walked over and helped his sick, weak friend. He did not know his name but that did not matter.
Nachman survived to tell this story and is now a very proud great-grandfather. He is alive, and has fathered generations of families, only because a man - a nameless man - cared enough to make a difference. (Touched by a Story 2)
Reprinted from the Parashat Shemini 5784 email of Rabbi David Bibi’s Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace.
