Bechukosai: 5782 - Rabbi Shimon Zonnenfeld with a story for Lag BaOmer about Ahavas Yisroel, told by Reb Motel Kozliner about his father. At the conclusion of Rabbi Betzalel Mizrachi's daily Daf Yomi class in…

00:00 Speaker 1 Please.

00:02 Speaker 2 Continuing from Lag BaOmer, on the subject of Ahavas Yisroel: Reb Mottel Kozliner once told me that when his father was released from a labor camp, he came home to Russia. When Shabbos came, he told Mottel to come to the farbrengen and not to miss it, because it would be a special farbrengen. And he did come. He sat and listened to some of the great chassidim.

00:30 Speaker 1 Where was this?

00:31 Speaker 2 It was in Chernivtsi, in Russia. And he says his father cried a great deal. What was he crying about? He had spent years there in the labor camp. He said, “Reb Nissan Nemenov was also there in the labor camp, and he kept away from forbidden foods. I did not withstand that test.” After the farbrengen, Mottel asked his father, “Why did you say you didn’t withstand the test of forbidden foods? I know that, with mesirus nefesh, you didn’t eat any forbidden food. Why do you say you didn’t withstand the test?” So his father explained what he meant. He said, “It’s true that I didn’t eat it. But there were other Jews there, and when a Jew came and asked me for my portion, for my food, I couldn’t withstand the test. I gave him food, even though it was treif. But when a Jew asks, when he’s hungry and wants to eat—I couldn’t withstand that test.” Reb Nissan Nemenov, on the other hand, was very, very—

01:37 Speaker 1 Well known.

01:38 Speaker 2 Yes. So he couldn’t allow himself to give another Jew something treif to eat. He was careful about forbidden foods. I didn’t withstand that test.

01:50 Speaker 1 Yasher koach. Yasher koach.