In one of his public sermons before a large congregation, the rav recounted this wondrous story — which had occurred to him personally — and concluded with the moral lesson to be drawn from it:
We see how far reaches the attachment of a Jew to the ways of his forefathers — that even after many generations the descendants remain bound to their ancestors. And how powerful is the prayer and entreaty of a saintly tzaddik, so lofty that the upper and lower worlds tremble before him, whose prayer continues to act and bear fruit for many years thereafter, upon his descendants after him — that they should remain upright, God-fearing, and pure from every trace or shadow of sin.
Among the audience who heard that stirring and fiery sermon sat a Jewish man whose young son struggled greatly in his Torah learning. The devoted parents had tried every possible method to help and support him, spending large sums of money, yet all to no avail.
Now, hearing this remarkable story, the father resolved to try this very approach himself. True, he thought, I am not Rav Akiva Eiger — not by any means — yet Hakadosh Baruch Hu hears and accepts the prayer of every Jew, especially when he pleads with tears on behalf of his children and descendants, that they should walk in the ways of their fathers and succeed in their Torah.
From thought to deed — from that day onward, the father stood each morning for a long while during Birchos HaTorah, weeping and supplicating before his Creator, pouring forth many tears that Hashem open his son‘s heart to succeed in Torah and set him upon the royal road.
And indeed, an astonishing wonder occurred: within a short time — inexplicably and with no natural explanation — the boy‘s heart and mind opened to understand his Torah learning. He began to study with great diligence and enthusiasm; the light of Torah began to shine within him; he experienced the sweetness and delight of Torah; and before long, he became one of the outstanding scholars of the holy yeshivah.
It was a marvel to behold!
