By Yehuda Z. Klitnick
Rav Asher Perlow, the son of Reb Aharon of Karlin, the Beis Aharon, was once traveling from Stolin with his gabbay. Although it was already late in the afternoon, the Rebbe had not davened shacharis yet, since his daily mikva immersion was a lengthy avoda, sometimes taking several hours.
They happened to be near the city of Bialystok, where the residents were strong opponents to Chassidus, and it was considered risky to venture into town in the afternoon, hoping to find a shul where one could daven shacharis. The Rebbe told his gabbay that Bialystok was where they would daven shacharis.
The devoted gabbay was quick to advise: "Rebbe, if we try to daven shacharis in a "misnagdish" shul at this late hour, they may to stone us". There's a little village not far down the road, where no one will take notice of us. Why not try davening there?"
"No," the Rebbe said. "It's Bialystok for us."
They found the main shul with no problem, but there was a large crowd outside. The gabbay found out that the Rosh HaKahal/President of the Shul was making a bris that day and all the prominent residents arrived to participate in the simcha.
The gabbay lead the Rebbe to a suitable place at the Eastern Wall, put down the Rebbe's Tallis and Tefillin, and proceeded to find a secluded corner for his own safety. The Rebbe made his preparations for tefilla and made the brocho on his tallis loud and clear.
Where is His Gabbay?
The Rebbe's putting on his tallis at that time of day caused a commotion in shul until someone suspected that "This must be a Chassidish Rebbe. So, where is his gabbay?"
They discovered the gabbay in his corner, immersed in prayer, and interrupted him. "Who is this Rebbe who dares to come in here to daven shacharis at this late hour well after the last permissible time to daven?"
The gabbay identified his master as the Rebbe of Stolin who was traveling and needed a secure place to daven. This did not bode well, and the crowd, called for the Rosh HaKahal to put a stop to the grave violation of their minhag!
The Rosh HaKahal stepped up to do his duty, and confronted the Rebbe. "See here," he said with great respect. "As Rosh HaKahal, I cannot allow a breach in the minhagim of our shul. No, there will be no shacharis now."
This was met silence from the Rebbe, and the exchange was repeated. The Rosh HaKahal happened to be a talmid chacham, and rational person. However, out of aggravation, he stated for all to hear: "If these Chasidishe 'Rebbes' and their followers could at least learn Torah respectably alongside their strange practices, maybe we could overlook the illegal shacharis. But as everyone knows they neither daven nor learn properly!"
“Can You Resolve the Issues to Everyone’s Satisfaction?”
In an emotional state he blurted "Stoliner Rebbe" we were struggling with a difficult passage of Gemara this morning. If you can resolve the issues to everyone's satisfaction, I will honor you with being Sandek at my son's bris!"
"All right. Let's hear what the problem was," replied the Rebbe.
"We were bothered with a famous Gemara (Shabbos 118b).“If all Yisroel observed two Shabbosos, they would be redeemed”, and this is the teaching when is spelled with a Yud. However, there is an alternative reading spelled with an aleph, which changes the meaning completely:
"If Yidden fail to observe two Shabbosos then they will be redeemed." How could we derive the opposite meaning just by changing one letter in the text?”
The listeners were keenly poised to see how the Rebbe whom they were convinced could not learn Torah would answer this challenging question from the Gemara.
The Rebbe’s Brilliant Answer
The Rebbe had a captive audience when he delivered his wondrous resolution. Without thinking, the Rebbe explained: We have four occasions throughout the year which are ideal to repent. The first, and most favorable circumstance, is before closing our eyes to sleep for the night -- before the soul has ascended to Shomayim, where the day's sins can be recounted, and one does Teshuva.
The next most favorable circumstance is Friday afternoon, Erev Shabbos, when one can do teshuva for sins from the preceding week. Similarly, although not as having a striking effect, Erev Rosh Chodesh is the chance to do teshuva for the entire month just past. Unfortunately, most people simply rely on and wait for the last of the four times for real teshuva, and that is Yom Kippur, which the Torah terms, a Shabbos of Shabbasim"—our 'two shabbosos', in a different sense.
Chazal Encourage Yidden to Not Postpone their Teshuva
Now look back at that Gemara with the aleph-spelling you asked about, building on that version of the text, Chazal teach us that if Yidden did not postpone their teshuva until the "two Shabbosos" (Yom Kippur) but would do so every night, or every Friday, or at least every Erev Rosh Chodesh, then they would have long ago been redeemed!" (The word “mishmarim” can mean "wait, delay" as well as "observe", as we see from Yaakov Avinu, “V’aviv shomer es hadavar.”
The audience was overtaken by the Rebbe's novel and brilliant explanation. This marvelous drasha was enough to spur the people to do teshuva on the spot. The Rebbe was welcome to finish his Davening in peace. Afterwards, the Rebbe was honored with being Sandek at the bris as promised by the Rosh Hakahal. This episode according to the Stoliner chassid and gaon Reb Hersh Leib Asia z’’l lead directly to the establishment of a major Stoliner shtibel in Bialystok which numbered over five hundred mispallelim before the War. Rabbi Asia’s grandfather was the Rav in that Shul. The Rebbe was,niftar 15 days of Av 5673
Reprinted from the Parshas Emor 5783 email of Pardes Yehuda.
