At one such wedding, the groom first saw the bride moments before the chuppah. The bride, adorned in her wedding gown and fully prepared for her big moment, sat in her royal bridal chair. However, when the groom noticed that she had a slight limp, he immediately declared it a mekach ta’us (an erroneous transaction) and refused to marry her. He and his family left the venue in shame, leaving the bride humiliated and in tears.
The kallah’s heartbreaking cries and the chaos caused by the incident deeply moved one of the guests, the young Rav Avraham Shenker. Stricken by her pain, he immediately offered to marry her so she would not be left in disgrace.
The families quickly arranged the details, knowing each other well, and the match was pleasing to all parties. The wedding took place right then and there, with the proper blessings and sanctifications. Rav Avraham thus saved the bride’s honor and that of her family, turning a moment of shame into a joyous occasion.
The elders of Yerushalayim often remarked that it was no wonder such an extraordinary lineage of Torah greatness emerged from such a marriage, born out of selfless commitment to a mitzvah and the honor of a Jewish daughter.
