Rav Schneur Eisenbach recounted a story about his cheder rebbe, a man of elevated stature, Rav Moshe Warsawer zt”l. He was renowned for his righteousness, simplicity, and profound fear of Heaven that preceded his wisdom. Among the people of Yerushalayim, he was regarded as a kadosh and a man of lofty spiritual standing.
One year, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, Rav Moshe confided to his talmidim, as if revealing a secret of the inner workings of the world, that a severe and ominous decree was looming over the Jewish people, chas veshalom. He urged his talmidim to intensify their prayers and supplications to avert and annul the harsh decree.
From that day onward, throughout the Days of Ratzon, the Rav recited Tehillim with the children daily, filled with great emotion, often weeping during his prayers with tears flowing abundantly. This rigorous routine with the young talmidim continued daily from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur.
After Sukkos, when the children returned to the cheder, they were eager and curious to know what became of the ominous decree. They immediately asked Rav Moshe what happened.
Rav Moshe, overjoyed, responded: “Blessed is Hashem! The prayers and petitions of Yisrael were accepted, and the decree was transformed into a great and mighty snowfall!”
The talmidim, who already knew of their teacher’s great righteousness, believed his words wholeheartedly. They kept this information in their hearts and began anticipating the prophesied snowfall.
They waited and waited. Winter arrived, and the months of Cheshvan and Kislev passed, as did Teves and Shevat, with no sign of snow. But the righteous Rav reassured his talmidim: “The great snowfall will surely come!”
Toward the end of that winter, just before Purim, the great snowfall arrived. It was unlike anything Yerushalayim had seen in many years. The snow accumulated to an extraordinary height of several meters, paralyzing life in the city.
One of the notable phenomena of the snowstorm was the uprooting of many trees. The tzaddikim of Yerushalayim remarked that these uprooted trees symbolized the nullification and replacement of the decree—these trees took the place of people who were meant to be uprooted from the world, chas veshalom as it is written (Devarim 20:19), כִּ י הָ אָ דָ ם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה - For man is like the tree of the field. The prayers and supplications had ascended to Heaven and annulled the decree!
Such were the teachers in the Talmud Torah of the previous generation in Yerushalayim of Above—individuals of great piety, filled with yiras Hashem and possessing lofty spiritual levels. They inspired their talmidim to fervent prayers during these sacred days, and their efforts bore fruit.
The holy month of Elul is an auspicious and favorable time for a good shidduch, for on Rosh Hashanah, barren women mentioned in the Torah were remembered. But how can women be remembered regarding conception, without first having a good shidduch? The mazal of the month, Besulah, further signifies its readiness and alignment with matters of matchmaking and unions. (See the holy sefer Bnei Yissaschar, Maamarei Chodesh Elul, maamar 1, section 3, for more details.)
Of this, the pasuk hints (Yirmeyahu 31:12), אָ ז תִּ שְׂ מַ ח בְּתוּלָה בְּמָחוֹל וּבַחֻרִים וּזְקֵנִים יַחְדָּו וְהָפַכְתִּי אֶבְלָם לְשָׂשׂוֹן וְנִחַמְתִּים וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים מִיגוֹנָם - Then shall the virgin (besulah) rejoice in dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow, Amen, may this be His will.
