In the mid-1700s, there was a Yid named Reb Eliyahu who, from time to time, would subject himself to galus, wandering from city to city. On one such trip, he found himself with no lodgings. After looking around for some time, a passerby directed him to a chasuna taking place where the entire city including the guests were welcome and invited to partake.
Sometime during the seuda, an expensive piece of jewelry went lost. People searched around the hall, but no one found it. “It must’ve been stolen,” they concluded, and immediately the suspicion fell on the unidentified guest. Reb Eliyahu was the only attendee who nobody recognized, and so naturally they assumed he must be the thief.
One of the attendees callously shouted at him, “Guest, return what you stole!” Reb Eliyahu remained silent. That only rallied their suspicion even more, but however much they interrogated him, Reb Eliyahu didn’t say anything. (See Sefer Chofetz Chaim, end of Klal Yud)
Seeing his refusal to speak convinced all the accusers that Reb Eliyahu must be the thief. As the tensions were rising, one guest suddenly grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the chosson. “Chosson, here is the thief!” he declared, but Reb Eliyahu just stood his own. By now, they were sure that he was to blame.
Within a short time, he found himself on the other side of the wall. Being that they were so certain, one of the accusing parties had taken him by the arm and had ejected him from the wedding hall through the door situated behind the head table. With that, Reb Eliyahu just took his belongings and moved on to the neighboring town.
As time went by, this Reb Eliyahu became the famed Vilna Gaon — Reb Eliyahu Kramer. Years later, when repeating this story, the Gaon would express that it was all worth it. “After landing on the other side of the wall, I overheard the chosson laughing. His seeing me get thrown out brought him laughter. That made my whole ordeal worthwhile, as it brought simchas chosson v’kallah.”
The Gaon embraced all the humiliation happily, knowing that it brought the chosson simcha.
