Rabbi Yonasan Eibishitz zt"l
Rabbi in Metz and the three Communities: Altona, Hamburg, Wandesbek
Author: Yaaros Devash, Urim Vetumim, Kreisi Upleisi
21 Ellul 5524 (1764)
When Reb Yonasan was just a little boy his father gave him a few pennies on his way to cheder to buy himself a treat. As the young Yonasan was walking an evil non-Jew Ivan walked over to him and slapped him across the face. Surprisingly Yonasan took the coins from his pocket and presented them to Ivan. The surprised Ivan immediately asked "is this in return for the slap?" and burst out laughing.
Without blinking Yonasan replied, "of course, don't you know that today is a Jewish holiday which requires us to reward every gentile who harms us with all of our money!" Ivan just couldn't believe his ears this is his lucky day! Quickly he strode over to the famous Jewish rich guy and with all due respect handed him a ringing slap. But instead of money the rich person sounded the alarm and Ivan was presented with the beating of his lifetime.
When young Yonasan reached marriageable age (at the turn of the 18th century, a fifteen-year-old was considered old!), he was suggested for the daughter of R’ Shimshon Wertheimer, a learned Torah scholar and a leading Rabbi in Austria, Hungary and Moravia. He was also a wealthy financier to the court of Austrian Emperor Leopold I.
As is customary, R’ Shimshon arranged to meet with the young man in order to familiarize himself with him and test his Talmudic ability. It just so happened that he was scheduled to have business interests in Prague, and taking advantage of the opportunity, he made up to meet Yonasan, who was residing in Prague then, informally during his stay. When the two did meet, the young prospective groom displayed a breathtaking wealth of knowledge, sparkling wit, and deep intelligence which so impressed R’ Shimshon, that he agreed to the match immediately. He asked for a few days to travel home and obtain the consent of his wife and daughter before “closing the deal.”
Before leaving for home the following morning, Reb Shimshon asked Yonasan if he can talk to him once more. “I know we spoke already but I’d like to test you one more time,” said Reb Shimshon.
The young genius nodded amiably but then said, “in that case, I would like to test you as well.” Reb Shimshon’s eyes widened in disbelief at the boy’s impudence. “What do you mean?” he asked incredulously.
“Well,” replied the youth with a smile, “the reason why a bochur is tested before his engagement is to fulfill the words of Chazal that a person should not give his daughter to marry an ignoramus. The test, therefore, is to determine whether or not the proposed Chassan is learned or not. Yet, in the very same Gemarah in Maseches Pesachim, Chazal tell us that a person should sell everything he owns to marry the daughter of a Torah scholar. Therefore, it would seem that the prospective Chassan ought to test the father of the proposed girl to see what he’s like.” Reb Shimshon was floored!
“However,” the young man quickly continued, “we rely on the premise that the girl’s father has already been tested by his father-in-law before his own engagement, and on the basis of the first test he can be considered a Talmid Chacham.”
“Okay, so why would you want to test me,” inquired Reb Shimshon, “if I was already tested once before?”
Young Yonasan Eibschitz’s eyes sparkled. “Since you want to test me a second time,” he replied, “I conclude that you don’t rely fully on the first test. If so, why should I rely on the first test you were given before your engagement? I need to test you a second time to make sure your daughter is indeed a daughter of a Talmid Chacham!”
