English Translation
The head of the Kamenitz Yeshiva, the Gaon Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz of blessed memory, who was born in Slutsk and lived there in his early years as a young married scholar, related:
“One stormy winter night, I heard footsteps in the snow around my house, which stood at the edge of town. The hour was very late, and I began to worry about whoever was approaching. Then there were knocks at the door. To my amazement, when I opened it, I saw before me the town’s Rabbi, the Ridbaz [Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky], who from sheer excitement couldn’t wait until daybreak, and came to repeat to me a wonderful insight he had developed in the words of the Rif [Rabbi Yitzchak Alfasi]. He declared that all the labor pains of his mother, his grandmother, and all the previous mothers were worthwhile just for this single insight he had newly discovered!”
“I wanted to honor him with a cup of tea,” Rabbi Baruch Ber completed his story, “so he could warm up a bit in the terrible cold. However, the Ridbaz refused out of impatience. He was in a hurry. He had come only to share the wonderful insight he had merited to discover in the words of the Rif, and immediately went back out to trudge through the snow and wind on his way home.” Such was the extent of the Ridbaz’s burning love for Torah!
[From Rabbi Aharon Sorsky, “Melech B’Yofyo” (Jerusalem 2004) Vol. 1, p. 58]
Original Hebrew Version
סִפֵּר רֹאשׁ יְשִׁיבַת קַמְנִיץ הַגָּאוֹן רַבִּי בָּרוּךְ בֶּער לֵיבּוֹבִיץ זַצַ”ל, שֶׁהָיָה מִילִידֵי סְלוּצְק, וְהִתְגּוֹרֵר בָּהּ בִּתְחִלַּת יְמֵי אַבְרְכוּתוֹ: “פַּעַם אַחַת בְּלֵיל חֹרֶף סוֹעֵר שָׁמַעְתִּי קוֹל פְּסִיעוֹת בַּשֶּׁלֶג מִסָּבִיב לְבֵיתִי, שֶׁעָמַד בִּקְצֵה הָעִיר, וְהַשָּׁעָה מְאֻחֶרֶת מְאֹד, עַד כִּי הִתְחַלְתִּי לַחֲשֹׁשׁ מִפְּנֵי הָאִישׁ הַבָּא. וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁמְעוּ דְּפִיקוֹת בַּדֶּלֶת. לְתַדְהֵמָתִי, כְּשֶׁפָּתַחְתִּי, רָאִיתִי לְפָנַי אֶת הָרַב דְּמָתָא, הָרִידְבָּ”ז שֶׁמֵּרֹב הִתְפַּעֲלוּת לֹא עָצַר כֹּחַ לְהַמְתִּין עַד שֶׁיָּאִיר הַיּוֹם, וּבָא לַחֲזֹר בְּאָזְנַי עַל סְבָרָא נִפְלָאָה שֶׁחִדֵּשׁ בְּדִבְרֵי הָרִי”ף, בְּאָמְרוֹ, שֶׁכָּל חֶבְלֵי־הַלֵּדָה שֶׁל אִמּוֹ וְשֶׁל אֵם־אִמּוֹ וְכָל הָאִמָּהוֹת הַקּוֹדְמוֹת הָיוּ כְּדַאי בִּשְׁבִיל סְבָרָא יְחִידָה זוֹ שֶׁחִדֵּשׁ!”
“רָצִיתִי לְכַבְּדוֹ בְּכוֹס תֵּה” הִשְׁלִים הַגְּרַבָּ”ב אֶת סִפּוּרוֹ “שֶׁיִּתְחַמֵּם מְעַט בַּקֹּר הַנּוֹרָא. אוּלָם הָרִידְבָּ”ז סֵרֵב מִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ. אָצָה לוֹ הַדֶּרֶךְ. לֹא בָּא הֵנָּה כִּי־אִם לְהַגִּיד אֶת הַסְּבָרָא הַנִּפְלָאָה שֶׁזָּכָה לְחַדֵּשׁ בְּדִבְרֵי הָרִי”ף, וּמִיָּד יָצָא שׁוּב לְבוֹסֵס בַּשֶּׁלֶג וּבָרוּחַ, בְּדַרְכּוֹ הַבַּיְתָה”. עַד כְּדֵי כָּךְ הִגִּיעַ הָרִידְבָּ”ז בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ הַבּוֹעֶרֶת לַתּוֹרָה!
הרב אהרן סורסקי שליט״א ״מלך ביפיר (ירושלים תשס״ד) ח״א, ע׳ 58
About The Story
Author:
Source:
