The heilige Gaon Harav Moshe Sofer Ztzal, the Chasam Sofer, was plunged into grief and sorrow when all his sons and daughters—one after another—fell sick with severe illnesses. The physicians were powerless to help, and as the family began to lose hope, most of the children began showing signs of recovery. Day by day, they regained their health. Laughter and joy returned to the household.
However, not all was well. Two of the children remained critically ill, their conditions pale and fragile. Their high fevers and agonizing pains defied all medical treatment. These were the two eldest sons—the young boy Shmuel Binyamin, later author of the Ksav Sofer, and his younger brother Yitzchok Leib later author of the Michtov Sofer. Days passed and conditions worsened. The young boy Shmuel Binyamin lost consciousness entirely. He was no longer the brilliant child; he was now an eight-year-old boy, suffering in severe agony. Day by day, various complications set in. For seven long, agonizing days, different symptoms attacked his weakened body at once, bringing him to the brink of death. The situation of the boy was critical, and the city's top physicians threw up their hands in helplessness.
The family's prayers and tears broke through the heavens. Yeshiva students fasted, recited Tehilim, and learned round the clock. Everyone joined in fervent prayer for the son of their beloved leader. During this time, the Chasam Sofer added the name Avraham Shmuel Binyamin.
The Doctors' Despair
The greatest doctors called to his bedside stood helpless before the dying child. Seeing the initial signs of death, they threw their hands up in despair and whispered in low tones: Shmuel Binyamin has only hours left to live. We have done all we can. Our job is done-we now yield to the Chevra Kadisha. The disciples of the Chasam Sofer, standing by the dying child's bed, felt their souls nearly leave them upon hearing the bitter news. They quickly ran to the holy Chasam Sofer, interrupting his regular lecture. Softly, they reported: "Rebbe, thus said the doctors..."
The holy face of the Chasam Sofer darkened with pain. He kissed his Talmud, which lay open before him, stood up, and rushed to his son's room. Upon entering, a heartbreaking scene met his eyes: his child lay in bed, pale, breathing with difficulty, showing all the agony of a soul near departure. Yet, what caught his focus were the candles—the very candles lit by the Chevra Kadisha around the child's bed, as was customary during the departure of a soul... The members of the Chevra Kadisha stood in the room, their eyes cast down, whispering the customary prayers for a dying person.
A Father's Prayer
The Rav's family, close students, and devotion-filled followers stood crying in the corners of the room. Tears streamed down every cheek as they awaited the grim moment... Our holy Master looked on with deep pain—a pain far beyond human endurance. Suddenly, the child's father turned to the doctors and declared: "We are in the hands of the Almighty. Although you failed in your duty, our Master in Heaven can perform miracles!"
Hearing the father's steadfast faith, the top doctor bowed his head in awe. He gathered his books and medical bags, which were already packed, and laid his hands upon the sacred manuscripts written by the Chasam Sofer himself. With deep emotion, he exclaimed: "May Hashem look upon your holy Torah and answer your prayers!"
When the doctor finished speaking, the holy face of the Chasam Sofer radiated. He whispered softly: "Blessed is the True Judge," and declared in words that left the onlookers stunned: "It is impossible that I should live to eighty and my son not live to carry my burden after me!"
Not a few moments passed, and the fragile child opened his eyes! The doctors stood in absolute astonishment at the miracle unfolding before their eyes: the fever broke, the boy's strength returned, and slowly, his color restored. Gradually, he made a full recovery! And indeed, fifty years later, when the Ksav Sofer was seventy-three years old, he departed to the eternal world—exactly thirty-three years after his father's passing in Pressburg. His father's decree and prayer had been fulfilled!
The Sacred Heritage of the Candles
Years later, when the Ksav Sofer reached an advanced age, Rabbi Ber Frank, head of the Chevra Kadisha in town, gve him those very candles that had been lit by his bedside during his childhood illness. These candles symbolized the darkest moments and the grand miracle that followed. They were meticulously crafted by a master artisan, placed in a beautiful ornamental box, and given as a gift to the head of the burial society for safekeeping through the generations. Today, these holy candles remain preserved in the hands of his grandson, the pressburger Rosh Yeshiva in Jerusalem.