A great Jewish chazzan once visited Amsterdam and davened in a certain shul on Shabbos morning. He heard the baal tefillah davening very loud, skipping words, and singing in a grating voice that was completely off tune.
The Chazan was Terribly Upset
The chazzan was upset, as he assumed that this baal tefillah probably paid his way to receiving the honor of serving as baal tefillah. Maybe the shul let him have his way and serve as baal tefillah, only because he gave a few dollars to the shul’s coffers.
The chazzan was so infuriated that the davening was sold to the highest bidder, that he went into a side room and preferred to daven alone. However, he returned to hear kri’as haTorah. As the chazzan went over to kiss the Torah, he saw that the baal tefillah was walking, holding the Torah, and two people were supporting his arms.
The chazzan asked someone why he needed help. The person told the chazzan that this baal tefillah used to be the one who led the davening in the great shul in Lodz, Poland, prior to WWII. This man used to lead a choir of 40 children in Lodz. When the war broke out, this baal tefillah and the 40 children in his choir were taken together to Auschwitz, where he remained with them until the children were murdered in the gas chambers.
Forced to Entertain the Cursed Nazis
This baal tefillah of Lodz was kept alive, and was forced to entertain the Nazis y”s with his powerful and melodious voice. He was tortured, blinded and his vocal chords suffered damage. After the war, he settled in Amsterdam. When the people in the shul realized who he was, they begged him to serve as baal tefillah.
He kept refusing, saying that his vocal chords were damaged, and besides, he was too broken and dispirited to lead the davening. He finally acquiesced, and this Shabbos – when the chazzan was visiting the shul – was the first time the baal tefillah agreed to lead the tefillos.
The visiting chazzan felt deeply ashamed. His entire perspective took a paradigm shift. The chazzan went over to kiss the Torah, and to kiss the chazzan as well.
Reprinted from the Parshas Eikev 5783 email of The Weekly Vort.
