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Magazine
A Blessing Born in Auschwitz: The Promise That Shaped Generations
A powerful Holocaust era story of faith, sacrifice, and a single heartfelt request that led to seven sons becoming world renowned Torah scholars, fulfilling a Rebbe’s emotional blessing decades later
- Naama Green
- |Updated
Rabbi Moshe was a young man when he was exiled to Auschwitz. He lived there alone and isolated, the sole surviving remnant of his family. One day he heard that in another section of the camp was the Sanzer Klausenburger Rebbe. He decided that he needed to be in the Rebbe’s presence, no matter what. Transferring between sections was extremely difficult, but he persuaded another prisoner to exchange identification papers with him. The man agreed, and Rabbi Moshe succeeded in moving sections. From that moment on, he did not leave the Rebbe’s side.
A Promise Given After Liberation
When liberation finally arrived, Rabbi Moshe remained with the Rebbe, who asked him to help with an important mitzvah that required significant physical effort. Rabbi Moshe replied, “Rebbe, I cannot! This is close to a matter of life and death for me. I simply do not have the strength!”
“Know,” the Rebbe assured him, “that no harm will come to you from this mitzvah. I promise you. And more than that, whatever you ask of me now I will grant, provided that you continue this sacred work.”
A Request That Brought Tears
“All right, Rebbe,” the young man said, suddenly standing upright.
“And what is your request?” the Rebbe asked.
“I want a blessing that all of my children will know all of Tosafot on the entire Talmud!”
The eyes of the Sanzer Rebbe filled with tears. “Fortunate are you, and fortunate is your portion, that this is what you ask for at such a moment. I bless you that you will merit to see your wish fulfilled!” he said with deep emotion. Strengthened by the blessing, the young man continued his holy labor with renewed vigor.
Seventy Years Later: The Blessing Fulfilled
More than seventy years later, on the third night of Chanukah 5776, seven of Rabbi Moshe Weiss’s sons stood around his bed. They were known throughout the world as Torah scholars, halachic authorities, and teachers of Torah, masters not only of all Tosafot but of the vast treasures of Torah knowledge.
The Sanzer Rebbe, the author of Shefa Chaim , had once referred to them as “the seven branches of the menorah.”
