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.
