By Yoni Schwartz
Years ago, a bachur was thrown out of the Klausenberg Yeshiva for misbehavior. Realizing the gravity of his sin, he was distraught and despondent, with nowhere to go and nobody to turn to. Without any other options, he decided to visit the Klausenberger Rebbe, ZT”L, himself. He knocked on his door.
Shocked, the Rebbe said, “It’s the middle of yeshiva. What are you doing here?” “I got kicked out,” the boy said. “What did you do?” the Rebbe asked. Full of shame and remorse, the boy explained. The Rebbe said, “Wait here. I’ll take care of it.”
The Rebbe went to the principal’s office. When the principal saw that the Rebbe himself had come to visit, he nearly fainted. Once he regained his composure, he asked the Rebbe, “What have I done to merit a visit from the Rebbe?”
The Rebbe explained, “A boy just came to me saying that he got kicked out of yeshiva.”
The principal responded, “Yes... well, you see, he has already done this several times.”
The Rebbe responded, “He told me that he’s not going to do it again.”
The principal replied, “Rebbe, do you believe that? Do you know how many times he’s told me that he’s not going to do it again?”
The Rebbe became angry, to the point that he was red in the face, and exclaimed, “Are you telling me that I have no hope? Are you telling the Klausenberger Rebbe that life is over for him? Do you know how many times I promised Hashem that I wouldn’t repeat something - and I did? So, you’re telling me that I have no hope?”
The principal became very scared and accepted the bachur back.
Many years later, as someone was telling over this story, that same bachur was in the audience. When he heard his story, he approached the speaker and said, “I was that boy.”
Thanks to the Rebbe, that bachur ended up becoming an incredible Jew. Who knows where he would have ended up had the Rebbe not believed in him and fought for him?
