Rav Nochum Mordechai zy”a, the oldest son of Rav Dovid Moshe of Tchortkov zy”a, died at a young age in the city of Deltin, on the 26th of Tamuz 5630. His father was with him at the time of his petirah. When Rav Dovid Moshe returned to Tchortkov, he was struck another blow, as he found out that his second son, Rav Yisroel zy”a (who would eventually be his successor) was very sick. When he went to visit him in the hospital, he could see that the situation was very bad.
He went home and paced back and forth in his room, saying, “Hashem, if this is what You want, I won’t, chas v’shalom, say anything. But how can I not daven? The Torah testifies about Aharon Hakohen that when his sons died, he was silent. That was how great his pain was. It affected his heart so much that he was speechless and he couldn’t even open his mouth to protest.”
Chasidim relate that Rav Yisroel was ultimately saved in the merit of the tefillah of a woman who said, “Hashem, even Punya does not take an only son!” (When the wicked Czar of Russia made his “Cantonist” law to draft Jewish youths into the Russian army, even he would not forcibly take an only child away from his parents. The woman was saying that even Punya – the Russian Czar – wouldn’t take away an only son. After the petirah of Rav Nochum Mordechai, Rav Yisroel was his father’s only surviving son.)
This woman’s words made a big impression in Shomayim and Rav Yisroel was healed and went on to succeed his father as Rebbe of Tchortkov.