Rav Eliezer Silver with survivors of the Holocaust
Rav Eliezer Silver, zt”l, would often say over a story that occurred with him in a Displaced Persons camp following World War II. As head of the Vaad Hatzalah, the relief and rescue organization, he had first-hand knowledge of what took place in the years preceding their liberation.
His goal was to give both physical and spiritual support to the survivors, try to give them hope, and strengthen them however he could. Rav Silver organized Minyanim, and provided Taleisim, Tefilin, and Siddurim for them to use. In one of the camps, there was one Jew who absolutely refused to put on Tefilin or Daven. There was nothing that could convince him to give praise to Hashem, Who allowed him to survive the horrors of the Holocaust. He was adamant that he wanted nothing whatsoever to do with religion.
Expressed His Belief that the Man Must Have a Good Reason for Being So Bitter
Rav Silver felt that he should put extra effort in with this man, as he just could not ignore him. He felt that this man only had feelings as strong as this because of the emotional trauma he had gone through, and he wanted to try and get to the bottom of the problem. Rav Silver said, “I know that you refuse to join the Minyan or put on Tefilin, and I am sure that you must have a very good reason for acting this way.”
The man replied, “Rabbi, I will tell you why I want nothing to do with Judaism or its traditions. There was a man in my camp who was somehow able to sneak in a Siddur. Every day people would ask him if they could use it, and he would tell them he would rent it to them if they would give him half of their daily portion of bread. Can you imagine such heartlessness? To take advantage of his brothers, whose meager portion of bread was hardly sufficient to provide him with nourishment and energy, and charge half of that portion to allow him to Daven with a Siddur for a few minutes! If someone can act like that, this religion is clearly not for me!”
“Allow Me to Ask You a Question”
Rav Silver listened intently and said, “My friend, I understand your pain, but please allow me to ask you a question. Why do you look down so much at the Jew who acted with cruelty, so that he could benefit at the expense of his brother’s Ruchniyus? Why are you not more impressed with those Jews who gave up half of their bread each day, simply so that they could Daven from a Siddur for ten minutes? To me, this is much more impressive!”
With tears in his eyes, the man said that he had indeed been looking at it in the wrong way, and he now sees it with a new perspective. He committed to Rav Silver that he would start coming to Minyan and put on Tefilin!
Reprinted from the Parshas Va’eira 5785 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
