Welcome to the Daily Holy Story.
Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky was in a Soviet prison, where he wrote his book on the Tosefta. The evil Soviet authorities allowed him to take two books into prison, so he took the Tosefta and another siddur (prayer book). How did he write his book in prison? He wrote it on cigarette paper that the prisoners used for smoking. He would save from his food and purchase cigarette paper, and he would write his book on it.
Years passed, and Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky was released from prison. He wanted to print his book, but printing a Jewish book in Russia was very dangerous, and he was bound to be thrown into prison. One day, a woman who was the sister-in-law of Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz from Kamenetz entered his home. She told him that she was preparing to escape from Russia across the border, that it was very dangerous, and that she wanted a blessing from Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky. Rabbi Abramsky told her, “I’m willing to give you a blessing, but I have a request for you. I would like to take my writings out of Russia.” The woman agreed, and a few weeks later the rabbi found out that, with Chasdei Hashem (Hashem’s kindness), his writings had made it out of Russia.
Dozens of years passed, and Rabbi Abramsky left Russia and ended up in London, where his writings were printed, to the happiness of those who learn Torah. One day, a woman walked into his house in London and told him, “I am the sister-in-law of Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz.” The rabbi thanked her for taking his writings out of Russia. The woman began telling him an amazing story. “When I was escaping Russia, I joined a group of 30 men who were trying to escape from the borders of Russia. I sewed your writings inside my dress and wrapped the dress around my body. We started through the fields until we reached the border. All of a sudden, our guide yelled, ‘Run! Escape! I see soldiers—Russian soldiers—with dogs that are going to trap you!’ Right away, I jumped into a pile of garbage and saw a fearful dog coming close to the pile I was hiding in. He sniffed near me, but immediately left the pile and started barking and catching the other people who were with me. The majority of the escapees were discovered by the soldiers, but I succeeded in crossing the border and getting to London.
“When I ended up in Vilna, I went to the house of the Gaon (great scholar), Rabbi Chaim Ozer, and told them my story. Rabbi Chaim told me, ‘Dogs know how to smell people; they cannot smell Torah.’ So I knew very well that my life was saved because of the writings that you wrote, which I took with me out of Russia.”
Thank you for listening and have a lovely lovely day.