Reb Avraham ben Avraham zy’a hy’d
The second day of Shavuos is the yahrtzeit of the ger tzedek of Vilna, Reb Avraham ben Avraham zt’l, who was killed al kiddush Hashem. His father, Count Pototski, was extremely and legendarily wealthy. Someone once asked Reb Avraham why he chose to be a Yid, as it meant forfeiting all this wealth. He answered, "Friday night, when the Shabbos oil lamps go out, they give off a scent. That smell is more enjoyable to me than all the wealth I had enjoyed in my previous life."
In those days, it was forbidden to convert. Especially, when a child of the famous and wealthy Pototzki family converted, they viewed it as a great disgrace to the church. Reb Avraham had to conceal his background, but someone told the government where he was living, and this led to his death, r'l. The ger tzedek knew who reported him to the government, but he said he wouldn't take revenge. The ger tzedek said, "In this world, I didn't take revenge. Do you think that I will take revenge in the next world?"
He explained with a parable: A young prince was at the beach, building the image of a person in the sand. Someone came by and broke the sculpture. The prince cried to his father, complaining that someone had broken his artistic work. The king listened to his son but didn't do anything. The prince was surprised that his father was so calm and relaxed. To the prince's young mind, a terrible crime was committed. He thought, 'When I grow up, I will take revenge on this person." However, when the prince became an adult and a king, he didn't take revenge. As an adult, he realized that it was nothing. "Similarly," Reb Avraham ben Avraham explained, "I'm not taking revenge in this world; do you think I'll take revenge in the next world?"
Reb Avraham ben Avraham was a student of the Vilna Gaon zt’l. The Vilna Gaon told him that he had the ability (using spiritual powers) to save him, but the ger tzedek replied that he preferred to die al kiddush Hashem.
Reb Alexander Zuskind zy'a, the author of Yesod Veshoresh HaAvodah, ventured out to the square where the pyre was prepared to burn the ger tzedek. He wanted to answer amen to the brachah the ger tzedek would say when being moser nefesh al kiddush Hashem. It was also mesirus nefesh for the Yesod v'Shoresh HaAvodah to be there because if someone saw him, they were liable to burn him at the stake as well, chalilah. The Vilna Gaon said that if ten people answered amen to the ger tzedek's brachah, the world would have reached its perfected state, and Moshiach would have come. Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach said that he heard ish mipi ish [from a direct source] from the Vilna Gaon zt’l that when the ger tzedek said this brachah, a fire came forth from beneath Ma'aras HaMachpeilah and burned up all kelipos. Had there been a minyan answering amen, the world would have reached its complete rectification.
Yehi Zichro Baruch.
