STORY OF R’ AHRON BELZER ZATZAL ESCAPING FROM THE NAZIS Y'MACH SH'MAM
When R’ Ahron Belzer came to Cracow, he was in terrible danger. “Der Sturmer” (a prominent German newspaper) had a group of pictures of Rabbiners (Rabbonim) who were the “Most Wanted” by the Nazis. The Rebbe’s of Satmar, Munkatch, and Gur, and the biggest picture in the middle was of R’ Ahron Belzer! As soon as he came to Cracow, everybody knew that he had arrived!
There were Jews who became Kapos and Jew haters, Rachmana Litzlan, since it was survival for them to bribe their German superiors. The worst of the worst, a professional “Mosser” (informer) and Rasha M’rusha was Samuel Spitz. Of all people, the Rebbe asked that Samuel Spitz be brought to him! The chutzpadik Samuel Spitz laughed, and said: “I never helped a Jew, and you can expect to be in big trouble soon.” His German superiors were actually in the room with him!
The Rebbe Zatzal told him that at this point he is loaded with enemies because of his wickedness, but if he turns around and helps the Rebbe hide, then all the Jews will love him. Samuel Spitz made a drastic turnaround, and became the Rebbe’s biggest Chassid, who went out of his way to save him. He complained that the Rebbe should get a much bigger and more comfortable quarters. He made sure to wash his hands every time he came inside to see the Rebbe!
He started helping other Jews, including getting food for the Rebbe’s family members who were starving in Premishlan. On Simchas Torah, they gave him the Aliyah of Cohen. The greatness of R’ Ahron Belzer Zatzal we don’t understand, but I would suggest that a person who during his entire life was always praising and seeing good even in the worst Reshaim, is Zoche to actually make such a thing happen in Olam HaBah.
My brother-in-law, R’ Mordechai Feder Zatzal was a close Chassid of his, and he told me that all the many Madregos of R’ Ahron came from his extreme Ayin Tova. My sister, Rochel Feder ע"ה, used to write letters to Hashem, and in her letters, she used to work hard on being Dan the weirdest people L'kaf Zechus. When she was Niftar, tremendous miracles happened in our family, beginning on the day she was Niftar.
R’ Ahron said that just like we need to be: עָ מֵּ ל (toil) on a Shver (hard) Rambam, so we need to try to answer a “Shver (hard) Yid”. R’ Isser Zalman Meltzer Zatzal was also Osek in this type of Avoda.
