For many years, the Russian empire controlled a large part of Poland. During those years, the Jews in Poland were under the constant threat of being forcibly conscripted to the Russian Tsar’s army.
Aside from the fact that these Jews were forcibly torn from the source of their life – the Gemara and the beis medrash – without any option of keeping Shabbos, kashrus or mitzvos in the army – they were also in very real danger. The battles on the various fronts extracted countless Jewish victims. In addition, the families that remained behind often suffered from hunger and poverty, as they had lost their breadwinner and the pillar of their households.
About one hundred and eighty years ago, a sofer Sta”m named Rav Chaim Flisser lived in Sochatchov. In addition to being a gifted scribe, he was also a talmid chacham and yarei Shamayim. The parshiyos that he wrote were renowned in the whole region and people flocked to purchase parshiyos for mezuzos and tefillin from him.
Reb Chaim was also called up with a draft notice to the army. For ten years, from when he was twenty until he was thirty, he received a temporary deferral for one year. By nature, Reb Chaim was weak, and according to the law he was eligible for an exemption, but whenever the commanders saw the Jew with the venerable visage that stood before them, their hatred for Jews overpowered then and they gave him a mere one-year deferral, so that he would have to come back over and over again.
When Reb Chaim appeared before the committee for the tenth time, he was already thirty years old. The draft only obligated men of up to age thirty, and as such, Reb Chaim was sure that this would be the last time he would have to report. But his assumptions were misplaced. Once again, the sight of a venerable Jew aroused the hatred of the commanders, and they ruled unanimously that he had to enlist immediately. Not only that, they also determined that he would be stationed in Irkutsk, in distant and icy Siberia.
The terrible news hit the family like thunder on a clear day. His close friends and relatives hurried to the Rebbe Rav Yaakov Aryeh of Radzymin, with whom Rav Chaim was close, to ask for advice. The Rebbe instructed them to file an appeal at the regional command office, and to postpone departure for Siberia for the time being.
After extensive efforts, the appeal was filed, and a time was set for a hearing in the city of Plotzk. The frantic family members, who knew that the chances of their appeal being accepted were very low, pressured Reb Chaim to flee the country. But Rav Chaim wanted to first travel to Radzymin to obtain the Rebbe’s permission for such a move.
At the time, a new room had been added to the Rebbe’s home, and Reb Chaim sat down and wrote a mehudar mezuzah on klaf, and then set out for the Rebbe.
As soon as he arrived, Reb Chaim hurried to the Rebbe’s home. The Rebbe studied him with his piercing gaze and said, “Chaim, why are you enveloped in sadness? Why don’t you look good? Did you learn that here?”
“Holy Rebbe,” Reb Chaim replied brokenly, “I am in such a huge trouble, and I’m terrified.”
“What from? Who are we afraid of besides the Ribbono shel Olam?” the Rebbe asked. Reb Chaim was silent, and merely took out the mezuzah and gave it to the Rebbe, who opened the mezuzah, studied it, and then nodded approvingly. “Nu, Chaim, shall we affix the new mezuzah in the new room?” the Rebbe asked-declared. “I’ll say the brachah and you will answer amen.”
After they put up the mezuzah the Rebbe sat down and inquired after Reb Chaim’s welfare. Now Reb Chaim took out his kvittel, in which he had written down all the details, and handed it to the Rebbe.
The Rebbe finished reading, looked at Reb Chaim and asked: “Leave the country? Why?”
Reb Chaim lowered his gaze and said, “This is what my family is advising. They made a lot of inquiries and reached the conclusion that there is no other choice.”
The Rebbe began to pace in the room, and some unintelligible words emerged from his mouth. Finally, he ran to the window, raised his hands and asked with fervor: “Ribbono shel Olam, merciful Father! Chaim Zev ben Charna Chava is a sofer. He wrote the letters in Your holy Torah! Holy tefillin and mezuzos! Ribbono shel Olam, I plead for mercy! Have mercy on Chaim Zev ben Charna Chava. He brought me a special and beautiful kosher mezuzah, to fulfill “zeh Keli v’anveihu,” and I, Yaakov Aryeh ben Buna asks You that the holy letters that he wrote should protect them that he should not have to wander.”
And then the Rebbe turned to the sofer and said: “Don’t listen to what your advisors are saying. Go to the appeal and do not be afraid of anything! But before you go into the hall where the hearing is being held, recite these pesukim three times (Yeshayah 29:33-34): והיו מלכים אמניך ושרותיהם מיניקתיך אפים ארץ ישתחוו לך ועפר רגליך ילחכו וידעת כי אני ה‘ אשר לא יבשו קוי: היקח מגבור מלקוח ואם שבי צדיק ימלט.” And when you are standing in front of them say: “The zchus of the Rebbe of Radzymin, Yaakov Aryeh ben Buna, will advocate for me that I should be spared.”
The Rebbe placed his hands on Reb Chiam’s head and bentched him, and Reb Chaim emerged in a much happier state of mind.
The time for the appeal came and Reb Chaim traveled to Plotzk. As soon as he arrived, the Jews who were waiting to appear in front of the committee told him that the members of the appeals committee had arrived looking very rigid and somber. The chairman had declared firmly that all those who had filed appeals would be sent to serve the Russian empire in Siberia.
Reb Chaim’s turn arrived. He strode into the hall, appearing very calm. At first, there was a general agreement among the members of the panel that his appeal should be denied, but suddenly, the older commander stood up and asked Reb Chaim if he was healthy. “My heart is weak,” Reb Chaim replied. The commander asked Reb Chaim to run the length of the hall. Reb Chaim began to run, breathing heavily. “We can see he is not healthy,” the doctors told one another.
That day, Reb Chaim was the only one who left the appeals’ committee with a discharge letter in hand.
Hasaba Kaddisha MiRadzymin, Vol. II, p. 457
