I recently came across a fascinating story about Rav Yosef Lichter: Rav Lichter was a descendant of the Rema and was himself a Dayan in Europe before World War II. Rav Lichter and his three sons survived the war by disguising themselves as Polish peasants. They apparently were never in the Concentration Camps.
Yosef Lichter was meticulous in his observance of the practice of Kiddush Levonah. He used to quote the ‘segulah’ that is mentioned in various sources that one will never die in the month in which he sanctifies the New Moon. He used to say that Kiddush Levonah is a 30-Day Insurance Policy.
When the Nazis were finally defeated and the Russians moved into Poland, the Russians imposed a dawn to dusk curfew. It was prohibited to walk in the street after dusk. Rav Lichter did not want to violate his firm practice of reciting Kiddush Levonah, so he took his chances, went outside, and recited the prayer for sanctification of the new moon.
He was arrested by the NKVD (associated with the Soviet Secret Police). They took this poor Jew down to a dimly lit basement in front of a Soviet judge. They accused him of violating the curfew. The judge asked him in Russian, “How do you plead – guilty or not guilty?” Rabbi Lichter responded, “Not guilty” and then he began speaking in Yiddish. He figured “What do I have to lose? I’ll tell him the truth!” He could have lost his life for this, but he felt that he had nothing to lose.
He told the judge, we have a religious custom to bless the new moon every month, the moon is only visible after dusk, and that is why I violated the curfew. Upon hearing this, the judge told the NKVD officers to leave the room. He then asked Rabbi Lichter – “Do you remember, long before the war, you were once walking home from shul, and there were a bunch of bullies beating up a little Jewish boy named Chaim? You stopped them and told them ‘Leave the kid alone.’”
The Judge then looked at Yosele Lichter and said “I am Chaim!” He brought the soldiers back in and told them, “This person is a long time Communist. He is a Communist from before the war. He is a good person. He is for the masses. Leave him alone, take him back home, and make sure that he is not harmed.”
This story has two connections to Parshas Vayigash. First, we see that when one is a nice person, it always comes back to his benefit. Second, this is yet another example of an “I am Yosef” incident. Just like when Yosef saw his brothers and announced to them, “I am Yosef” they were shocked, this is a somewhat similar story of “I am Chaim.” “Since you stuck up for me in the past, now I am going to stick up for you now.”
Yosef Lichter survived the war. He came to Borough Park. He had children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He was saved and lived into the 1960s because he learned the message of eglah arufah – that when someone cares about another person, one will eventually be repaid in ways that can save his or her own life!