When the first light of morning began to shine, the rebbe and his son realized that the time of their deaths was near. There was a bit of water in their cell, and the rebbe washed his hands and davened with enormous kavana, for what seemed to be the final Shacharis of his life. He davened quickly to have time for Mussaf as well. As soon as he finished davening, there was a knock on the door, just as he expected. Two soldiers entered the room and ordered the rebbe and his young son to follow them.
They were taken to the head of the Gestapo. On the way, the rebbe was given a hint of what was to come. “I have never seen the commander in a mood like this,” the deputy commented. Was that a good sign? They would soon find out. They entered the room and the Nazi official announced, “Your documents show that you are a Hungarian citizen. You will have to pay a fine for violating the law, and you must return to Bochnia.” The rebbe struggled to maintain his composure. He realized immediately that an incredible miracle had been performed for him.
“You have been saved this time,” the commander added, “but if you do this again, the punishment will be extremely severe.” “I didn’t know it was forbidden to go to Neumark, and I will not do it again,” the rebbe said. The Nazi ordered him to pay a fine of 1,000 zlotys, but the rebbe’s possessions were worth only about 600. The officer agreed to accept that sum, and he handed the rebbe a document that read “The Hungarian Jew named Shlomo Halberstam was captured by the SS in Neumark and is being sent to the SS in Bochnia.” The officer signed his name and then took the rebbe and his son in his car to the train station, where he purchased train tickets with the money the rebbe had given them. He accompanied them to the train and made sure they boarded it.
The emotions the rebbe must have felt as he boarded the train defy imagination. He was with his son, but his wife and other children were not with him. He had just been spared from what seemed to be certain death, and he was on his way to freedom.
