Vayeilech: 5786 - The wondrous story of the heroic Cantonists, which our Rebbeim, from the Tzemach Tzedek onward, would tell on the night of Rosh Hashanah, in order to find merit for the Jewish people. Presented by the Rabbi…

00:02 Speaker 1 In these days, we seek merits with which to speak in favor of the Jewish people. There is a story that our Rebbeim would tell every year on Rosh Hashanah night to invoke merit for the Jewish people. From the Tzemach Tzedek onward, our Rebbeim would tell this story on Rosh Hashanah night. What is the story? There was a Jew named Shimon Levin who had been one of the Cantonists. In Russian, they called him Semyon. He had been drafted into the army, and because he was so diligent, they gave him a title as well: Semyon Bodry, which means something special in Russian. He served in the navy, at Sevastopol, where there is a large naval base to this day. He was an outstanding soldier. Once, the tsar himself came to watch a military exercise there. The tsar noticed Semyon, who had distinguished himself in the exercise. He saw that there was something special about him. He spoke to the officer and asked about him, and the officer said that he was a very special soldier. After the parade, the tsar summoned him and said, “I saw what you did.” He wanted to promote him to general and have him serve in his personal guard—the tsar himself. But Semyon, like the Cantonists who had given everything to remain Jews, said to the tsar, “I cannot be a general.” “Why?” the tsar asked. “Because I am a Jew, and under the regulations of the Russian army, a Jew cannot be a general.” The tsar said, “That is no problem. You can convert, and then there will be nothing to prevent you from becoming a general.” Semyon said to the tsar, “I would like to show Your Majesty one more exercise.”

02:25 Speaker 1 The tsar said, “Go ahead.” He had been very impressed by what Semyon had done earlier while carrying all his equipment. They were at the naval base, where the ships were. Semyon climbed a ship’s mast with all his equipment, reaching the top so quickly that the tsar was greatly impressed. When he reached the top, he shouted, “I was born a Jew, and I will die a Jew!” He cried out, “Shema Yisroel!” Then he jumped into the sea and did not come back out. The tsar was stunned, but what could he do? After some time, Semyon’s body floated to the surface, and they brought it out. The local Jewish community asked to take his body and bury him in a Jewish cemetery. The tsar was asked, and he consulted his priest. The priest said, “Absolutely not. Not in a Jewish cemetery—only a military burial.” There was nothing to be done. The procedure was to place the body in a coffin at the base, with an honor guard standing by it for three days, and then hold the funeral. Semyon had two friends, also Jewish Cantonists serving there. They thought about what they could do to give their friend a Jewish burial. What did they do? One night, while the honor guard was there, they brought a bottle of vodka and had a party. They drank vodka. Once everyone had drunk enough, the two friends went to the grave of a non-Jew who had died and been buried. They took his body out of the grave, put it in the coffin, and took Semyon’s body and buried him in a Jewish grave. No one knew; no one noticed, so it passed without incident. But some time later, one of the soldiers who had been on the honor guard drank a little vodka and told the story. Word began to spread until it reached the commander.

04:30 Speaker 1 When the commander heard, they investigated which soldiers had taken the body. They found the two Jewish soldiers, arrested them, and began questioning them about where they had buried Semyon. They did not tell. They were subjected to terrible torture, but they did not tell. One died under torture. The other somehow held on, but eventually he too died, and neither revealed where they had buried Semyon. The Tzemach Tzedek concluded the story by saying: “The merit of those two soldiers, who gave their lives to bring Semyon to a Jewish grave, will stand for the Jewish people for more than two hundred years.” That merit will stand for the Jewish people. Our Rebbeim would tell this story every Rosh Hashanah night to invoke merit for the Jewish people. May Hakadosh Boruch Hu increase our merits, and may we be blessed with a good year and a gmar chasimah tovah.

05:42 Speaker 2 Amen.