Story of the week (By Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
An easy Army assignment was arranged by the Rebbe of Shtefanesht.
Harav Avraham Mattisyahu Friedman was the second Rebbe of Shtefanesht. He was born on the eighth day of Chanukah 1847 in Sadigura. His influence over Romanian Jewry was immense and his following numbered in the thousands. He was revered by Jews and gentiles alike. On his annual visit to Bucharest, all the shops were closed in his honor and tens of thousands of people came out to welcome him. He succeeded his father, Harav Menachem Nachum Friedman, the 1st Rebbe, at the early age of 21. His father was the fourth son of the heilige Rav Yisrael of Ruzin l''wevf.
R’ Meshulam was an ardent chosid of the Rebbe Harav Avraham Mattisyahu of Shtefanesht. Unfortunately, he was orphaned at a very young age and was forced to be the breadwinner for his family. He learned the trade of a furrier and soon became an expert in the field. His reputation spread far and wide, enabling him to earn a steady income for his family. When he turned 18, he was called to join the Czar's Army, which inevitably meant brutal treatment at the hands of the cruel Gentile soldiers. As was customary, he went to the Rebbe to receive a brocha to be exempted from conscription. He joined a group of chassidim who were also called up in the draft. The bochurim all waited in line for the Rebbe to bestow his blessing for avoiding the dreaded army service. When his turn came, the Rebbe blessed him with easy duty in the Army. Our chosid was devastated and decided to approach the Rebbe again. But to his dismay, all the Bochurim in the new batch received the same blessing as before from the Rebbe to be freed from the Army; yet again, he received the blessing for an easy assignment! "Rebbe!" he cried out. "What will happen to my yiddishkeit? Who will support my family?" The Rebbe calmed him down and said, "Your duty will be very short, and Hashem will help you." The chosid was assuaged and reported for Army service, full of Emunah. He believed fully that he faced only a short term of duty and that Hashem would surely help.
When he enlisted in the Army, he was assigned to join a battalion in Tchernovitz - Chernivechchyna, in western Ukraine, in the region of Bukovina and Bessarabia. It borders with Romania and Moldova. The chosid was grateful to Hashem, since Tchernovitz was a city full of Chassidim. Began with the heilige Rebbe, Harav Chaim Tirer, the Beer Mayim Chayim, a talmid of the Maggid of Mezritch and of Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov. He moved to Tzfas, and is buried there. Here was a place where he would surely feel at home. The chosid started his duty and, for 2 days, worked very hard. On the third day, he heard an announcement that there was a need for an expert furrier. He went to Headquarters Command and met the general of his base. His wife had ripped her fur coat and wanted it fixed in a way that the rip would be invisible. The chosid assured the general that he could do an expert job but that he would need to obtain a matching piece of fur. The general sent him off to the Tchernovitz marketplace.
The Chosid stopped into the first store he saw and was happy that the owner was a Yid. The Yid was terrified to see a soldier enter his store. The Chosid reassured him that he too was a Yid and told him the purpose of his visit. The Yid allowed him to enter his store and pick out just the piece of fur he needed. The chosid set to work on the spot. The shopkeeper was amazed at his expert work and said, "I need a craftsman like you, and if you agree to work for me, I'll use some influence I have with the Army to let you work here." The Chosid started seeing the Shtefanishte Rebbe's brocho come true.
The Yid returned to his base and gave the fur coat to the general, who showed it to his wife. She was delighted to have her coat back, and she couldn't believe her eyes at the beautiful work. The general promised the chosid a good reward for his efforts.
Meanwhile, the shopkeeper came to the general to arrange a temporary discharge for the chosid, with the understanding that he would still be in Tchernovtiz, available for service to the general when needed. The chosid left the Army base and began working in the shop. His family at home was supported by a decent salary that he earned. After some time, he married and was immediately granted an honorable discharge from the Army. The Rebbe's blessing had done its ponderous work. Beyond that, the Chosid now saw in retrospect how, by Hashgacha Protis, Hashem had instilled in him the desire to take up the fur trade so many years ago in his youth.
The Rebbe passed away 21 days in Tamuz 5693 in Yaas, Romania. He sadly left no offspring. In 2006 on the advice of tzaddikim, he was transferred and interred - his body was fresh - in the Nachalas Yitzhak Cemetery near many Tzaddikim of the Riziner dynasty, in Giv'atayim, Israel. His grave is visited by thousands of people yearly.
