When Aryeh, the son of the famous Torah giant Rabbi Yaakov Yehoshua (author of the work Pnei Yehoshua) reached marriageable age, his parents were overwhelmed with offers from numerous matchmakers. It was only natural, as a bridegroom from such a distinguished family was a real catch. And everyone, of course, assumed that Aryeh was a Torah scholar in his own right.
But in fact, such was not the case. The son of the famous scholar was not intellectually inclined, and that was putting it mildly. The young Aryeh was very far removed from the world of Torah study and erudition.
Aryeh was a simple boy who had not been blessed with any particular aptitudes or talents. Nonetheless, he was an amiable fellow who was well-liked by all who knew him. In truth, it wasn't easy being the son of a famous Rabbi. Aryeh often found himself in unpleasant situations when people tried to engage him in scholarly discussions; the only way he could extricate himself was by changing the subject.
As a child, Aryeh had shown great promise. Many people remembered how the young boy had demonstrated a surprising diligence and capacity for concentration. But something had obviously happened as he grew older. No one ever saw him opening a book, and his knowledge seemed to be quite limited.
But the matchmakers would not be deterred. All of the finest families competed for Aryeh as a son-in-law, although no one scrutinized the young man himself. With such a prestigious father, they figured, why even bother?
Eventually one of the matchmakers' offers was accepted, and the girl's father, a wealthy Torah scholar in his own right, was overjoyed.
A few days before the wedding the bridegroom's family set out for the girl's town, where the ceremony was scheduled to take place. All of the town's important personages came out to welcome them, led by the girl's father. It wasn't every day that such an important guest graced their village, let alone married into one of their own families.
After the usual exchange of pleasantries the prospective father-in-law turned to Aryeh and brought up a certain topic in Torah, wishing to hear his thoughts on the subject. It did not take long to discover that the young man had no idea what he was talking about. He was as far from being a Torah scholar as east is from west.
The father was horrified. It was unthinkable to allow his daughter to marry a young man who could barely read. The wedding was immediately called off, and the situation was terribly embarrassing for all involved. The Pnei Yehoshua and his son set out on the road for home, deeply distressed and mortified by their humiliating experience.
On the way home they stopped in Berzan, where they were greeted warmly by Rabbi Yechiel Michel Halperin, the Rabbi of the city. The Rabbi was delighted to open his home to such a distinguished figure and his son. But he could not help noticing that his guests seemed troubled. When he asked them what the matter was, the whole sad tale came pouring out. The Pnei Yehoshua let out a deep sigh.
Rabbi Yechiel Michel looked closely at the despondent Aryeh. There was something more about the young man than met the eye.
"I have a daughter named Rachel," Rabbi Yechiel Michel said suddenly. "She is a G-d-fearing and pious young woman. I would be very honored if you agreed to a match with your Aryeh."
The unexpected offer was immediately accepted by the Pnei Yehoshua and his son. Overnight, the dark cloud that had hung over their heads was gone.
The wedding took place amidst great festivity and celebration, and the young couple set up household in Berzan. In truth, many of the townsfolk shook their heads in wonder at the strange match. They just couldn't understand why their Rav had allowed his daughter to marry such a simple fellow.
But as time passed, it ceased to be a topic for conversation. Then one day, Aryeh went to the synagogue for the afternoon service and found it in an uproar. Everyone was involved in a heated argument over a certain point in Torah.
"What happened? What's going on?" Aryeh asked, but no one bothered to respond. There was no point; it didn't even pay to explain it. Finally, Aryeh found someone who told him that that morning, the Rabbi had posed a very deep and complicated question during his daily Torah lesson. No one was able to come up with an answer.
When Aryeh heard what the question was he was surprised. "Why, that's simple!" he said, and without further ado uttered a few words that quickly solved the problem.
It was so silent in the study hall that you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone was astonished by the simplicity and brilliance of the answer, let alone by the fact that it had come from Aryeh.
Once his secret was out there was nothing Aryeh could do about it, although at first he regretted it deeply. Quite unintentionally, he had revealed himself as the great Torah scholar he really was. With the passage of time he was appointed head of the local yeshiva, and later achieved renown with the publication of his magnum opus, Pnei Aryeh.
