7 minute read
A Light in the Darkness
By RaBBi Paysach J. KRohn
In the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, there was hardly any possibility to perform mitzvos. Nazi guards were everywhere, and if Jews were caught doing any religious actions, the consequences would be torture or death. Yet, throughout the winter month of Kislev, Rabbi Shraga Shmuel Schnitzler (1889-1979), known as Reb Shmelke, assured everyone that somehow they would be able to light a Chanukah menorah in the barracks. No one believed him; they thought he was trying to encourage them in a time of hopelessness. Realistically, where could they get a menorah or oil or candles or wicks? It was simply impossible under the watchful eyes of the guards.
Advertisement
Reb Shmelke had the unenviable job of carrying the corpses of Jewish victims to the crematoria. Often, he cried as he transferred bodies of people he knew. When he came back to the barracks, however, he tried his best to encourage those who were still alive.
One late afternoon, as Reb Shmelke was walking alongside the familiar camp path, he almost tripped over a lump in the earth. He was sure the obstacle had not been there before. He was curious, but he wouldn’t investigate unless no one was watching him. He looked around carefully and did not see any guards. He bent down slowly and started pushing away the soft earth to see if anything was hidden there. Using his hands, he dug through some of the earth and was shocked by what he found. As incredible as it seemed, it was a little jug of oil!
This seemed impossible. How did this jug get here? Someone must have hidden it here, he thought in amazement. He dug further, and to his utter astonishment, he found thin strands of cotton that could be used as wicks; then, as he pushed away more earth, he saw tiny little cups that could contain the oil.
Reb Shmelke shuddered. A Jew had hidden these items here. But who? He quickly covered the treasure as he found it. He wouldn’t dream of taking them if another Jew had hidden them. (To me, this is one of the most incredible parts of the story. Imagine the integrity he displayed; although he yearned to fulfill the mitzvah of kindling the Chanukah lights, he refused to usurp the privilege from the one who hid the oil and wicks, for the person might yet return to retrieve the items.)
He went back to the barracks and asked the other prisoners if they had hidden the oil in the field or if they knew anyone who had. No one knew anything about it. As Chanukah drew closer, he walked by that area every day to see if the clump of earth covering the hidden items was still undisturbed.
It was.
On the day before Chanukah, as evening drew near, he realized that no one had come to retrieve that oil. Making sure that he was not being watched, he dug up the oil, the wicks, and the cups and brought them to the
barracks. Later that night, to the astonishment of everyone there, he poured oil into a cup and inserted a wick. He recited the three blessings as the onlookers cried with joy and disbelief.
Every night of that Chanukah, Reb Shmelke managed to kindle the wicks, and every night the people were both joyous and incredulous.
Four months later, in April 1945, Bergen-Belsen was liberated, and its Jewish victims dispersed to try to rebuild their lives.
Reb Shmelke became the Rav of Bekesh-Csaba, Hungary, where he was known as the Tzchaber Rav. In 1951, he moved to Jerusalem, where people came to him for counsel and blessings. On one occasion, Reb Shmelke
Using his hands, he dug
through some of the earth and
was shocked by what he found.
traveled to New York, where he visited the Satmar Rav, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum (1887-1979). Both the Rav and Reb Shmelke had been prisoners in Bergen-Belsen, and the conversation turned to their experiences there.
As they reminisced about their ordeals, the Satmar Rav said, “I feel bad about one thing. I had bribed a guard to let me hide some oil, wicks, and little cups so that I could use them for Chanukah. I was freed four days before Chanukah, and it bothers me that the wicks and oil were never used for Chanukah.”
Rav Shmelke was astounded!
“Rebbe,” he exclaimed, “you will not believe this, but I found what you hid! I was walking along a path and almost tripped over a bump in the earth. I searched to see if something was buried there, and I found the oil, wicks, and cups that you had hidden! Erev Chanukah, when I saw that no one was coming to retrieve those items, I dug them up, and we used them in the barracks on every night of Chanukah! Rebbe, you actually were the cause for so many Yidden to be uplifted.”
The Satmar Rav smiled and said, “I am so grateful to the Ribbono Shel Olam for making another miracle happen with oil in the month of Kislev.”
In the winter of 2014, my son-in-law Chananya
Kramer, of Kol-Rom Multi-Media, and I produced
“Living Lessons,” an animated series of five Cha-
nukah stories for children accompanied by beautiful music and striking visuals. Thanks to modern technology, thousands of people around the world saw and heard those stories. Shortly after it was released, R’ Chaim Schnitzler of Williamsburg, a great-grandson of Reb Shmelke, called me.
“I am here in the hospital visiting my father [Reb
Boruch Yehuda]. We are sitting and crying as we just watched the story of our ancestor on ‘Living
Lessons.’ We are so grateful that this is now known throughout the world. The name of Reb Shmelke will live on forever.”
This story was excerpted with permission from Illuminations of the Maggid by Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn,
ArtScroll/Mesorah.
How does it feel to change a child’s life?
Picture it. Shlomo spends every class nervous that his rebbe will call on him. He has trouble understanding the sugya and he’s scared that he’s not going to know the answer. What if he doesn’t even understand the question? An ordinary moment - the possibility of a teacher calling on a student - has turned into endless anxiety for Shlomo. He is - quite literally - losing sleep over it.
Yossi is in fourth grade but reads at a second-grade level. He struggles to remember what sounds the vowels make. Any word that’s more than four letters... he doesn’t even try to sound out. Because Yossi isn’t a strong reader, he doesn’t practice as often as he should. And because he doesn’t practice as often as he should, he’s not a strong reader. It’s a cycle that feels impossible to break.
Aharon is in nursery school and seems to be doing well. But Aharon doesn’t engage in pretend play like the other kids. Sometimes, he has trouble stacking blocks and holding a crayon properly. If an educator - someone specially trained to spot warning signs of learning challenges - would pay attention, that educator would know something is amiss.
Shlomo, Yossi, and Aharon are struggling. And so are their parents. They know, that if nothing is done, their children’s learning differences can turn into lifelong challenges. They understand, that as they grow up, the stakes get higher.
Lamdeinu@TA: The Center for Academic Resources, helps kids like Shlomo, Yossi, and Aharon. Lamdeinu provides special education services to students in Learning Centers and self-contained classrooms, reading and Kriah support with specialists and tutors, and collaboration with outside educational support services, including Shemesh, to ensure the success of every talmid. Almost 30 employees are servicing hundreds of students with Lamdeinu services.
Lamdeinu will help Shlomo gain confidence. He will work one-on-one with a reading specialist. He will join the Gemara Skills Support Group. He will be caught before he slips through the cracks. Yossi will work one-onone with a reading specialist, someone who is endlessly patient and encouraging. Yossi will be caught before he falls too far behind. A teacher will notice Aharon’s challenges and immediately build a plan for early intervention. Aharon will be caught before he even falls.
Lamdeinu’s impact on TA’s students’ success is extraordinary. But the waiting list for Lamdeinu continues to grow each year. Demand has outgrown supply. More students need services, and more services are needed. The expansion and sustainability of TA’s Lamdeinu is critically essential.
To address this and continue to grow TA’s Lamdeinu services, TA will be having a special community-wide matching campaign for LAMDEINU on December 28th and 29th. Please donate at causematch.com/lamdeinu.
