Story of the week (By Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
**** It's important to pray until the last minute****
My Zeida, Hatzadik Rabbi Yisrael Toisig, Rebbe of Mattersdorf, related a powerful story of what happened to him with his Rebbe, HaGaon Rabbi Shmuel Rosenberg, the Unsdorfer Rebbe, the author of Sefer Beer Shmuel. The Unsdorfer Rabbi introduced a custom in his yeshiva that the boys of the Yeshiva who could learn, must say a Pilpul (critical analysis and sermon from Jewish scholars on talmudic subjects) on a certain Shabbos, and the reward for the boy who said the Pilpul was that the Rebbi made a Mi Shebeirach by the Torah for that boy, and that boy received the shirayim ("leftovers") from the Rebbi at the Shabbat meal, a strong point by Chassidim, believing it to be a great merit (zechus) to eat something from the leftovers of a Tzaddik. That list of speakers was drawn up at the beginning of the semester.
When it came the week before Rabbi Yisrael Toisig was to deliver his sermon, he told the gabbay, who was in charge of the lessons, to tell the Rebbi that he could not deliver his sermon that week because he had been sent a notice to register for the army, and he couldn't compose himself to prepare and say a sermon on Shabbos, as he was overtaken by the thought of having to serve in the army, and having to desecrate the Sabbos and eating Kosher food.
The Gabbay went to the Unsdorfer Rebbi and conveyed these words to the Rebbi. The Rebbi called Rabbi Yisrael and said "I order you to say a Pilpul" However, Rabbi Yisrael answered, "He didn't have his mind set to put together Pilpul? The Rabbi said sternly, "Nevertheless, I command you to say a Pilpul on Shabbos! Rabbi Yisrael took a staunch stance and said, If the Rebbi promises me that I will be discharged from serving in the army, I will say a Pilpul! The Rabbi thought for a few minutes and said Ok, I promise you that you won't have to serve in the army"! Rabbi Yisrael got to work and put together a Pilpul in the Sugya of "vrhcg rcsk jhka iht" (cwwg cwwn ;s ihause)" “one cannot send a messengar on his behalf to transgress!" (Kedushin 42b), which he later printed in Sefer Tiferes Yosef from his father-in-law, Hagaon Rav Yosef Pressburger Rosh Yeshiva, and Dayan of Mattersdorf.
Rabbi Yisrael was composed and delivered a deep and powerful Pilpul, and the Unsdorfer Rebbe was grateful and gave a special Bracha to Reb Yisrael that he would not be taken into the army. That week he went to Pressburg to meet a certain Askan, a Jewish communal worker, who was instrumental in freeing Yeshiva boys from the army. He arranged for a doctor to sign a declaration that one was weak and could not serve in the army. Rabbi Yisrael, having the precious note from the doctor, went on to the Kever of the Chasam Sofer and poured out his heart by saying Tehilim. From there, he traveled to a small village near Pressburg, where officers of the Army reviewed the papers. There he met up with other boys from Yeshivos, and the officers of the army approved the papers. From there, they all traveled to Malatzka, (a town in western Slovakia north of Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava. which was then part of the Kingdom of Hungary), where the army headquarters were, to present their papers to the officers.
That night, the boys stayed in a hostel so that they could be at the headquarters first thing in the morning. The boys said they were going to bed, and Reb Yisrael said he was going to stay up all night to say Tehilim and pray that he would be discharged from the army. The boys were sarcastic and said there is no need to pray when we have a doctor's note, and with that, we will be released! We are tired and will go to sleep. Reb Yisrael answered them, "One cannot be assured of anything, and one should always pray to Hashem until the situation is relieved.
Reb Yisrael knew that he still had to pray, so he stayed up all night and said Tehilim and prayed. In the morning, they all went to report to the officers. Fortunately for them, at that time, the head judge, who controlled the officers, was there. When the officers inspected the papers from the doctors, they said that even though they were acting according to the law of the army, something didn't add up. Since you don't live in the area of Malatzka, why did you come here? The officer took away from them the notes from the doctor and ordered them to go register at the army headquarters in the city where they live! The boys were devastated. But suddenly they hear the judge call the officier to bring him the papers of the boys. The judge reviewed the notes, and after a while, he states: All the boys must register into the army in their city except for the boy Yisrael Toisig, who will be allowed to register here. The boys now regretted that they did not pray that night and relied only on their papers!
They all had to go home; as for me, another officer took my papers, examined me, saw that I was not strong enough to serve in the army, and immediately gave me a note that I was discharged from serving in the army. I saw the great miracle of my Rebbi, that the judge only released me. The second thing I learned is that one should never cease praying until the very last minute and to maintain steadfast faith and dedication in their prayers, regardless of the circumstances they may find themselves in
“
