One day after WWII, a boy named Mottel, around ten years old, arrived at the orphanage of the Ponevezher Rav, ZT”L, in Israel, wearing filthy, smelly clothing, clearly starving. The orphanage mother gave him a meal. He ate a little and put the rest in his pocket. She gave him clean pajamas and hoped to bathe him and wash his clothes, but Mottel ran straight to bed, food in his pocket, shoes still on - and refused to change.
For four nights, she tried unsuccessfully to convince him to remove his dirty clothing. Eventually, the Ponevezher Rav, together with her and Rabbi Gurewitz (the orphanage administrator), decided they needed guidance, so they brought Mottel to the Chazon Ish.
The Chazon Ish spoke to the boy with extraordinary gentleness, feeling every ounce of his pain. When he asked, “Why don’t you want to take off your clothes?” Motel answered, “Last time I took off my clothing was in Bergen-Belsen, and they weren’t there in the morning. Before that, in Auschwitz, the same thing happened. If my parents aren’t here, I’m not taking them off.”
The Chazon Ish said, “If you take off your clothing, the orphanage mother will watch them.” The boy replied that he doesn’t trust her. “Then Rabbi Gurewitz will watch them,” the boy answered. “I don’t trust him either,” he said. “The Ponevezher Rav will watch them,” the Chazon Ish said. “I don’t trust him either,” the boy replied.
Finally, the Chazon Ish said, “You know what - if you take off your clothing, put on pajamas, and take a shower, I will watch them. And you can trust me because I have never told a lie in my whole life.” Though saying such a thing was wholly unlike him - due to his immense humility - he said it for the child’s sake. Mottel looked at him and asked, “You’ll watch my clothing?” The Chazon Ish gave him his word. Motel went to bathe and sent his clothing to the Chazon Ish.
Left alone, the Chazon Ish turned to the Ponevezher Rav and said, “This boy has no mother and father. Let you and me be his parents.” The great Chazon Ish, who almost never stopped learning for anything, went, found a bucket, filled it with soap and water, and together with the Ponevezher Rav, scrubbed the clothing until they were perfectly clean. When the boy finished his bath, he asked, "Where's my clothing?" The Chazon Ish responded, "It's hanging right there on the wall, and they'll be ready for you tomorrow morning.”
Reprinted from the Parshas Vayigash 5786 email of Torah Sweets.
