After the judges announced their verdict – execution – a high-ranking priest entered the courtroom and said to the prisoners, "I will give you a chance to live. If you convert to Christianity, you will be pardoned. You can return home like nothing happened. Think it over. I will ask you for your decision in five days from now."
The Russians knew that when Yidden are together, they strengthen each other in their emunah, so they separated the prisoners, placing them into ten private cells. Each prisoner was alone, and the priest and others came to them to try to convince them to convert. They explained that this was the only way they would be saved.
The only Yid allowed to visit the prisoners was the rav of the city. The rav arrived at the jail to see the prisoners. However, the priest was there, waiting for the rav. The priest assumed the rav would be on his side. What could be better than to save the lives of these men? He asked the rav to convince the men to accept the offer and convert to Christianity r’l.
When the fifth day arrived, the rav told the community, "Let's gather and daven for our ten brothers that they remain strong and pass this difficult test. They shouldn't exchange eternal life for life in this fleeting world."
After heart-rending tefillos, the Rav lit nine candles l’iluy nishmos the nine men who certainly chose death over conversion. He didn't light a tenth candle because one of the accused was a young orphan who only had a mother. The rav figured that this young man wouldn't pass the test and leave his mother alone. He also didn't want to distress the poor mother, the widow, with the thought that perhaps her son had died.
The mother, watching from the women's section, stood up and announced, "Light a candle for my son, too. I'm certain he will be moser nefesh. My only hope is that my son should pass this test and remain with his emunah."
The rav lit the tenth candle.
Shortly afterward, a shaliach from the court arrived and reported that all ten men were killed al kiddush Hashem.
The mother rejoiced over her son's sacrifice. Everybody watched this woman's joy and understood that her intense love for Yiddishkeit was passed down to her son, empowering him to pass this difficult test.
Reb Yankel Galinsky told this story as a lesson in chinuch. When parents show their love for Yiddishkeit, this love will be passed down to the children. Another lesson is the awareness of what is truly important in life. A moment of life in Olam HaBa is more pleasurable than the entire Olam HaZeh.
The story is also a lesson on the benefit of yesurim. One of the benefits of yesurim is that it frees us from tzaros in the next world. All yesurim in this world are worthwhile when they save us from yesurim in Olam HaBa.
