A LEAP YEAR SPRING FORWARD

The bitterness within him grew more intense. Feeling that he had been deceived, he began to make problems for this esteemed Chassid. As the weeks passed, he went one step further: He took a chair and sat at the entrance of R’ Shmuel Betzalel’s inn, calling upon all passers-by not to patronize a business run by a liar and a fraud. 

Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

I heard the following story from my father-in-law, R’ Zushe Gross:

One of the most prominent Chassidic personalities in the Chabad community of Melbourne, Australia, was the Chassid, R’ Shmuel Betzalel Althaus, of blessed memory. He was a descendant of the famed Althaus family from Nikolayev. Divine Providence eventually brought him to the faraway continent of Australia, where he lived for many years.

R’ Shmuel Betzalel’s material livelihood came through a small inn that provided lodging for guests who came to Melbourne in search of a place to rest and relax. 

Along with being a hotel proprietor, he acted like a Chassid in every sense of the word. Whenever he met with a non-observant Jew, he would try and bring him closer to Torah and mitzvos with the sweet and pleasant ways of Yiddishkait and Chassidus.

One such acquaintance was a non-observant Jew in his sixties, married to a woman considerably younger than him. Regrettably, after several years of marriage, they had yet to be blessed with children. The man often turned to R’ Shmuel Betzalel, and told him about the troubles burdening his heart.

On one occasion when he was overwrought with concern, R’ Shmuel Betzalel told him: 

“You know what? I suggest that you start putting on t’fillin, and I promise you that in the merit of fulfilling this great mitzvah, G-d will help you and bless you with children of your own.”

He listened to R’ Shmuel Betzalel’s advice, and while he had rarely, if ever, put on t’fillin, he quickly went out and bought a stringently kosher pair of t’fillin. He then began putting them on every weekday with much devotion, as he hoped that G-d would reward his observance with the birth of a child.

Several months passed, and the situation remained the same. The disappointment slowly penetrated the man’s heart, and just as his hopes and belief in his personal salvation had begun to take root, the yetzer ha’ra suddenly came along and filled his mind with thoughts of cold hard reality.

From that moment on, every time he met R’ Shmuel Betzalel, he told him that there was no news, although the Chassid had promised him that G-d would answer his prayers if he would put on t’fillin. 

One time after one of these comments, R’ Shmuel Betzalel suddenly turned to him and said: 

“You know, my friend, I don’t think that it’s enough just to put on t’fillin. You should take on another important practical mitzvah.”

“Like what?” the man inquired.

Without a moment’s hesitation, R’ Shmuel Betzalel “shot from the hip” – “Kashrus! You should start eating only kosher food.”

The man didn’t skip a beat. He wanted to have children so much that he was prepared to take an unprecedented step on his part. When he asked exactly what was entailed, R’ Shmuel Betzalel explained to him at length about the significance of kosher food. He then added that as part of the process of kashering his kitchen, he would have to throw out all his dishes and buy new sets.

This Jew was extremely affluent. He had some very tasteful sets of chinaware, and it wasn’t so simple for him to make such a decision. In any case, he convinced his wife to join him and agree to accept eating only kosher food. While it wasn’t easy to convince her to dispose of all of her valuable dishes, she ultimately gave her consent. The staff of the local Chabad house came to their home one evening and kashered their kitchen in accordance with Jewish law and custom. 

Several more months passed, and still there was nothing on the horizon. The Jew’s patience was beginning to wear thin, and every time he would meet R’ Shmuel Betzalel in the street, he would vent his frustration on him. “Nu, R’ Shmuel Betzalel, you made a promise, and I fulfilled my end of the bargain – but nothing’s happening.” For his part, R’ Shmuel Betzalel would reassure him by saying “Everything will be all right” – but the man remained unconvinced.

The bitterness within him grew more intense. Feeling that he had been duped, he began to make problems for this esteemed Chassid. As the weeks passed, he went one step further: He took a chair and sat at the entrance of R’ Shmuel Betzalel’s inn, calling upon all passers-by not to patronize a business run by a liar and a fraud. 

Naturally, the number of guests began to dwindle. Once they heard about the innkeeper’s “swindling,” they were hesitant to come inside. R’ Shmuel Betzalel’s financial losses became extremely serious.

Not knowing what to do, R’ Shmuel Betzalel finally turned to the Rebbe and asked for his advice and his bracha. At great length, he told the Rebbe the whole story about his financial difficulties resulting from his diminishing number of customers, and he fervently asked for the Rebbe’s help. In addition, he requested that G-d answer this Jew’s prayers for Divine mercy and personal salvation, particularly in the merit of his commitment to eat kosher and put on t’fillin every day.

A few weeks later, he received a letter from the Rebbe. This was a general correspondence written and sent “to all Jewish men and women wherever they are,” in honor of the upcoming days of Purim. Toward the end of the letter, the Rebbe wrote (not verbatim): If they’re not willing to fulfill, why do they promise? 

Then the Rebbe added a postscript: In spite of all the aforementioned, since this year is a leap year, G-d will give and G-d shall complete the days of her pregnancy properly and easily, and she will have an easy birth to a healthy child.

And so it was that at a good and auspicious hour, the couple was blessed with the birth of a healthy and beautiful baby boy. The father was so happy that from the day of his son’s birth until the day of his bris, over a period of a full week, he arranged festive meals for all Anash in Melbourne – just like sheva brachos for a chassan and kalla.

The boy grew up and became a student in Melbourne’s Chabad Talmud Torah.

His father was aroused to a greater connection to Yiddishkait. He hired a melamed for himself, and began learning lashon ha’kodesh until he was able to study Chumash with Rashi on his own. He eventually became one of the most active members of the Chabad community in Melbourne.