The Ribnitzer Rebbe
Rav Meilich Biderman related a story. Years ago, in Communist Russia, a Jewish couple was Bentched with a child. The mother wanted her child to have a Bris Milah, but her husband refused because every Jewish ceremony in those days came with a risk of imprisonment.
She knew of a day that her husband would be traveling, so she wrote a letter to the Ribnitzer Rebbe, Rav Chaim Zanvil Abramowitz, zt”l, who was known for his Mesiras Nefesh, self-sacrifice, to perform a Bris, and she requested that he come and give her son a Bris.
Rav Mendel Futerfass
The Rebbe agreed, and he arrived together with his friend, Rav Mendel Futerfass, zt”l. It was risky to perform the Mitzvah, but they did it with joy. After the Milah, however, there was a complication, and the child began to bleed profusely, and he needed medical care. They couldn’t call a doctor because the doctor would report them to the authorities.
The Ribnitzer Rebbe went into a side room for a short time, and when he came out, Rav Mendel Futerfass exclaimed, “You performed a miracle! The child stopped bleeding! What did you do in there?”
The Rebbe replied, “I Davened. I said, ‘Ribono Shel Olam! We came here to do a great Mitzvah. Please protect us!’ and Hashem heard my Tefilos.” When Rav Mendel would repeat this story, he would express his great admiration for the Ribnitzer Rebbe’s Emunah. He said, “At that time, I was so afraid that I couldn’t think straight, but the Ribnitzer Rebbe knew that the solution was Tefilah. With his strong Emunah, he saved the child, and also our lives as well!”
Reprinted from the Parshas Re’eh 5783 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
