Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, ZT”L, the Av Beis Din of Vilna, was known for his outstanding scholarship, and even greater kindness, loving each Jew no matter how religious or who they were. In the tumultuous times before World War II, most of the money sent to Europe to help the Jews was sent to him. As a result, he oversaw massive sums of money.
When distributing the funds, he was very careful to never discriminate between religious or non-religious Jews. Once, he was meeting with the head of the Joint Distribution Committee, Dr. Samuel Schmidt, who was not a Shabbos-observant Jew. At one point, the Rav stopped and asked him, “Is it okay if I call you Reb Shmuel?” (a title of great respect)
When Dr. Schmidt heard this, he began crying and said, “Rebbe, I do not keep Shabbos, Daven, or wear Tefillin, I do not deserve to be called ‘Reb’.” Dr. Schmidt wrote that when the Rav heard him say this, Rav Grodzinsky gently embraced his hand and said, “What do you mean? You came from America to a dangerous war zone to help Jews. Do you think you are not worthy of respect? Do you think you are not worthy of being called ‘Reb’?”
Dr. Schmidt said that on that day, when he came home, he put on Tefillin and became Orthodox. The respect Rav Chaim Ozer had for each Jew - and his appreciation for the good in them - is inspiring.
Reprinted from the Parshas Korach 5784 email of Torah Sweets.
