After the Holocaust, in which he lost almost all of his family, the Rebbe Rav Shlomo of Bobov returned to his home town seeking survivors of the glorious chassidus that, until the war, had been led by his father, Rav Bentzion of Bobov, Hy”d. The chassidus was almost entirely wiped out during the Holocaust.
All the Rebbe found in his town were 13 young orphans who somehow, had managed to survive. The Rebbe, who had lost his parents, siblings, wife and two children, and remained alone with his young son, and eventual successor, Rav Natfuli Tzvi, decided to take those orphans under his wing and to serve as both father and mother to them.
Later, when the Rebbe acceded to the call of a group of chassidim that had managed to escape to the United States before the war to come and lead them, and to reestablish the Bobover empire in America, the Rebbe took these 13 orphans with him.
The Rebbe aspired to establish a yeshivah that followed the Bobover derech, and it was only natural that the first talmidim in the yeshivah would be his 13 orphans. The first native born American student who joined the yeshivah was a 16-year-old bochur named Zusha. He was the son of one of the Bobover families who had settled in America shortly before the outbreak of the war. Until then, Zusha had learned in Torah Vodaath in Williamsburg, and when the Rebbe’s yeshivah opened, his parents transferred him there.
Zusha was the first, and he was followed by many others. And so, the chassidic yeshivah that at first seemed like a strange phenomenon on the secular soil of America, grew and thrived.
In its first years, the Rebbe used to eat together with the talmidim, and was a partner to all their problems and deliberations. That’s how a warm bond was forged between him and his early students, especially the very first ones – Zusha among them.
Many years passed.
The Bobover Rebbe had a special practice of celebrating Shushan Purim with his chassidim with great joy, as if it was Purim itself. On the morning of Shushan Purim, after davening, the Rebbe visited his close family, and later, he visited the homes of a few chassidim, accompanied by a few select chassidim.
The Rebbe was very familiar with the needs and struggles of his chassidim, and on these rare visits, he would shower them with brachos and encouragement. Many of the recipients saw great yeshuos after these visits.
When the Rebbe entered each home, he would excitedly call, “Gut yom tov! Gut yom tov!” and he shone with inner joy and love. While he kept repeating “A gut yom tov, a gutten Purim,” he would sit down at the table. The host would serve cake and some liquor, and when he finished, the chassidim who had joined the Rebbe sat down around the table as well. The Rebbe would slice the cake, pour some of the liquor into cups, and each one of the chassidim was called by name to receive his portion.
After the Rebbe finished distributing the portions to all those present, he would make the brachah out loud and the chassidim answered amen with kavanah. The Rebbe would take a small sip of the drink – so as not to have a safek if he was obligated in a brachah acharonah. After calling ‘l’chaim,’ everyone present would burst into song and dance for a few minutes. Then they moved on to the next address...
That year when this story took place, after finishing his visits, the Rebbe quietly turned to his gabbai and asked if they could pay one more visit. The gabbai asked, “Where to?” And the Rebbe replied, “To Reb Zusha.”
At that time, Reb Zusha was already serving as rosh yeshivah in Bobover Yeshivah, and when the chassidim heard that the Rebbe was going to visit him, they became very curious. They knew of Reb Zusha’s plight, that nine years had passed since his wedding and he had not yet been blessed with children. When the Rebbe stated his intention to visit Reb Zusha’s home, the chassidim realized that he wanted to draw a yeshuah to the house.
Again, the chassidim sat down around the table. This time, as well, the Rebbe sliced the cake that had been put down in front of him and his face was suffused with a special light. When Reb Shmiel, the devoted gabbai of the Rebbe, came to get his portion, the Rebbe asked him to please prepare a cup of tea.
The request was unusual, because, as noted, the Rebbe was usually strict to sip just a bit in each home. The gabbai hurried to comply with the Rebbe’s request.
After the Rebbe finished distributing a slice of cake to each person present, he called Reb Shmiel again. The chassidim thought that the Rebbe had forgotten that Reb Shmiel had already received his portion, and pointed it out to the Rebbe, who said, “He needs more...” Indeed, the gabbai needed more...He had just one son, and he yearned to be blessed with more children.
Now the Rebbe turned to his cup of tea, which had already cooled down. He picked up the cup, made a brachah and sipped half of it. Then he looked at Reb Zusha and Reb Shmiel and loudly and with great joy recited the brachah acharonah. “Borei nefashos rabbos...” The words echoed through the room, touching the hearts of all those present.
The Rebbe was in a different world. His face burned with an otherworldly glow and his eyes were closed tightly. The chassidim’s eyes were fixed on the Rebbe as he said the words of the brachah one by one, with great emphasis.
When he finished, all those present answered a resounding and heartfelt amen.
Then the Rebbe went on to the rest of his tasks for the day, but the chassidim did not forget this incident.
A year later, Reb Shmiel and his wife had another son, and not long after that, Reb Zusha and his wife had their first daughter.
About twenty years later, Reb Smiel and Reb Zusha became mechutanim, when Reb Shmiel’s son married Reb Zusha’s daughter. And the Rebbe was honored with siddur kiddushin.
Just One Word – Amen, p. 165
