Reb Shlomo Karliner's son became a chasan. The kallah was the daughter of Rebbe Reb Boruch'l of Mezhibuzh. Reb Shlomo Karliner promised a large dowry – five hundred rubles – and he immediately began saving up. But people were also coming to his door with requests for tzedakah. The money ended up going to tzedakah, and he didn't have any money for the dowry.
His gabbaim decided to get involved. The next time Rebbe Shlomo had a significant amount of money, the gabbaim took it and said they would return it to him when they were traveling to Mezhibuzh for the chasunah.
As they were traveling to the chasunah, Rebbe Shlomo Karliner heard that near where they were, Rebbe Nochum Chernobyler zt'l was in prison. Rebbe Shlomo Karliner went there, bribed the prison guard with one hundred rubles (from the five hundred he had for the dowry) to let him enter, and allow him to speak with Rebbe Nochum Chernobyler.
When Rebbe Shlomo was about to leave the jail, he asked the guard, "How much longer will you be holding Rebbe Nochum here?" The guard said that in a few days, they will free him from prison. Rebbe Shlomo gave him the remaining four hundred rubles and immediately freed Rebbe Nochum from prison.
They continued to the chasunah, now without any money. Regardless, the chasunah and the week of sheva brachos passed with peace and joy. When Rebbe Shlomo Karliner was about to return home, his son said, "Father, don't leave me. I am afraid that my father-in-law will ask me for the dowry, and what will I do then?" His father replied, "Don't worry. If the mechuten, Rebbe Boruch'l, asks you for the money, just go to a corner, and shout 'Oy Tatte' and I will take care of you." (He meant that, from a distance, he would hear his son's call and help him.)
Days passed, and Rebbe Boruch'l didn't ask for the money. One day, on erev Shabbos, Rebbe Boruch'l was saying Shir HaShirim, and he was repeating several times the pasuk (1:13) לִי דּוֹדִי הַמ ֹּר צְרוֹר , with hislahavus. The young chasan thought that his shver was hinting that he wanted the money for the dowry. He thought he was saying, צְרוֹר, the package of money, לִי דּוֹדִי, that my friend, my mechuten, owes me... The chasan quickly went to a private place and shouted, "Oy Tatte".
When Rebbe Boruch'l finished Shir HaShirim, he said to his son-in-law, "Today's yungerleit... Something small happens, and they immediately go running to their father."
Let us learn from this story a lesson regarding tefillah. The Midrash (Tanchuma, 1) states, "When Moshe saw that the Beis HaMikdash would be destroyed... he established that Bnei Yisrael should daven three times each day. Tefillah is more precious to Hakadosh Baruch Hu than all good deeds and korbanos." However, a person may feel that he isn't able to concentrate on the tefillah. Whenever he davens, his mind flies away to a thousand places, and he can't focus. The story above is encouraging. Rebbe Shlomo Karliner heard his son's call "Oy Tatte", and he immediately came (in a spiritual manner) to Rebbe Boruch'l, to help his son. The lesson is that as long as the Beis HaMikdash stood, we received all our needs from Hashem, even without asking for them. But when the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed, r'l, we need tefillah. It is very hard for us to focus on tefillah, but even the simplest tefillah of "Oy Tatte!" – and even if it is said without kavanah – that will suffice, and Hashem will immediately take care of all our needs.
In kedushah (Keser) we say, כראשית אחרית אתכם גאלתי הן "I will redeem you in the end, as I redeemed you at the beginning." The Yismach Yisrael (Shemos #2) writes, quoting his father, Rebbe Yechiel of Alexander zt'l, "In Mitzrayim, they couldn't even speak. All they could do was shout 'Oy! Oy!' (see Shemos 2:23) and this shout is extremely precious in heaven..." This is how it will be at the final redemption. We don't have the strength to focus on our tefillah, but we can shout "Oy Tatte!" and Hashem will save us and send us Moshiach tzidkeinu.
