We have been telling stories of Gedolim, in order to give ourselves a picture of what it means to have true Ahavat Yisrael.
We shared some stories about Chacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul, who, for many years of his life, suffered from a stroke and other difficulties.
He once shared with someone that the Yisurim he suffered were to help the Jewish people. We don’t know how many Gedolim accept suffering upon themselves, in order to help the Jewish people at large.
The following story was told by a talmid (student) of the Chafetz Chaim.
This talmid had a life- threatening, debilitating illness, for which the doctors had no cure. He made a trip to Radin to ask his Rebbe for a beracha. The Chafetz Chaim told him that he’d help him, on the condition that he would never tell anyone about it. The talmid readily agreed.
The Chafetz Chaim instructed him to travel to a certain Rav who lived in a small, city and to tell him his situation. “He’ll give you a bracha and with Hashem’s help you’ll get better.”
The talmid went immediately to that Rav, and within a short period of time, recuperated from his illness.
He continued to study for a while at the Radin Yeshiva and then moved away, married, established a family, and according to his Rebbe’s instructions, never told the story to anyone. More than twenty years later, his sister-in-law contracted a strange illness. He quickly realized that she was suffering from the same illness that had afflicted him, but, as per his Rebbe’s instructions, he didn’t say a word.
His wife remembered that he had once told her that he had a certain illness but whenever she brought up the topic he became very elusive. She felt that he was holding back information which might save the life of her sister.
After a tremendous amount of pressure from his wife and her family, he decided that enough time had passed and that he had already fulfilled the Chafetz Chaim’s instructions to not reveal the story.
He told his wife all that had happened: How the Chafetz Chaim had sent him for a bracha from a certain Rav, who must’ve been a hidden Sadik, and how he had then recuperated. This gave the family some hope that maybe they could follow that route as well.
A short time later, this man’s illness returned. Very shaken, he realized that he had broken his promise to the Chafetz Chaim.
He traveled the long distance to Radin and came to the Chafetz Chaim, who was by then, old and weak. The Chafetz Chaim remembered the story from 20 years prior, and listened quietly to the latest turn of events.
After a short silence the Chafetz Chaim spoke quietly and slowly. “I’d love to help you again, but what can I do? The first time you were sick, I was still young and strong. I fasted 40 consecutive days in order that Hashem would send you a refuah. Now I’m too old to fast like that again.”
Not only did the Chafetz Chaim suffer for 40 straight days to help a talmid, but he arranged the matter in such a way that it appeared that it was someone else’s bracha which helped!
Why it had to kept secret, we don’t know, but that isn’t the point of the story.
The point is to see how far great people go to help others. They will suffer for other people, and cover it up.
There is a pasuk, that proves this point ( 35,13) about David HaMelech
וַאֲנִי בַּחֲלוֹתָם לְבוּשִׁי שָׂק עִנֵּיתִי בַצּוֹם נַפְשִׁי וּתְפִלָּתִי עַל חֵיקִי תָשׁוּב
And I, when they were sick, put on sackcloth. I fasted and pained myself.
David HaMelech describes how even for his enemies, when he heard they were sick, fasted and pained himself, in order that they should get better.
That’s a Gadol B’Yisrael.