Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Greenwald of Budapest once related:
Rav Shmuel, the son of Rav Yom Tov Lipman Heller, lay unconscious, dying in his sickbed. Seeing his son’s worsening condition, Rav Heller approached the trunk were he kept his writings and manuscripts and removed a copy of the then unpublished manuscript of his monumental commentary on the Mishna, the Tosafos Yom Tov. Clutching his precious sefer, he declared heavenward:
“Ribono Shel Olam – Master of the World! Perhaps I had some pride or took some physical pleasure in the composition of my sefer, and if so, I am ready and willing right now to cast the pages into the flames and burn it!” He prepared and stoked the fire in the fireplace until suddenly, as he was about to relegate the handwritten manuscript to the flames, his son Shmuel cried out excitedly: “Tatty Tatty! Please don’t do it!”
The Tosafos Yom Tov was overjoyed and he ran to his son’s side and approached the sickbed. Shmuel told his father: “I was in the World of Truth, on High and I saw the Heavenly tribunal, deliberating my fate: would I live or die? Suddenly I saw Rav Yehuda HaNasi, the author of the Mishna, approach and advocate on my behalf. “Leave him be, allow him to live and descend back to earth, for his father authored the commentary Tosafos Yom Tov sincerely for the sake of Heaven, lishma, and many times he succeeded in arriving at the truth and getting things right. See how he now wishes to destroy and burn his manuscript!” No sooner did he say this when my fever broke and I awoke and I felt better now.” They celebrated his recovery with a festive meal, inviting all the rabbis of the town to share and rejoice.
(Yechabed Av, Shem Ha’gedolim Ha’chadash pg 30b) (See also Responsa Shu”t Tirosh Yitzhar [215] where he cites the sefer Chefetz Hashem of Rav Chaim Ben Attar, the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, who writes that he has a sign that proves that he studied Torah lishma because many times he arrived at the truth by reaching the same conclusions as the Ramban, the Ran and the Tosafos Yom Tov).
A Visit from the Tosafos Yom Tov
Once, as the Rebbe Reb Bunim of Peshischa sat together with his disciples, an elderly talmid chacham, who remembered Rav Bunim from his younger days when he was in Vadislov, approached and greeted him. Since he remembered Rav Bunim as a youngster, he did not greet him by the title Rav or Rabbi and the disciples and talmidim of his chevraya were upset by this and rebuked the elderly guest for his lack of honor and respect for their rebbe. “You know what?” replied the elderly talmid chacham from Vadislav, “I will test your rebbe and ask him a question from the commentary of the Tosafos Yom Tov. If he knows the answer I will indeed honor him with the title Rav and Rebbe.” He asked Rav Bunim, and the Rebbe Reb Bunim closed his eyes in concentration and rested his head on his arm for several minutes. Finally he lifted his head, opened his eyes, and delivered a very good explanation in the Tosafos Yom Tov, answering the visitor’s question. The guest was amazed. “I asked many scholars, but no one could answer my question. How did you know the answer?” “Well,” explained the Rebbe Reb Bunim, “I ascended on High and asked the neshamah of my departed rebbe the Yid HaKadosh, who in turn went to visit the Tosafos Yom Tov himself in the heavenly academy. He explained that the printer had missed a few words. He explained the answer to me and that’s how I know it!” (Yechabed Av, Shem Ha’gedolim Ha’chadash pg 30b)
