Literally, "This little one should become big," but taken to mean that this boy should become great

AT the bris of a talmid’s son, Rav Yeruchem Olshin, rosh yeshivah of Beth Medrash Govoha, was honored with sandekaus. During the seudah, Rav Olshin shared a story he had heard from a well-known Israeli rosh yeshivah.

This rosh yeshivah related that at his own bris, some 70 years earlier, his grandfather, a talmid chacham of note, had been in attendance. Yet as Shacharis ended and the bris commenced, Rav Aharon Kotler entered the room. The avi haben wanted to give Rav Aharon the honor of serving as sandek, but Rav Aharon insisted that the honor belonged to the grandfather. The baby’s father acquiesced,  and honored Rav Aharon with krias shem instead.

Decades later, that baby boy — who by now was a marbitz Torah delivering shiur to dozens of talmidim — shared why he personally was gratified that Rav Aharon had taken krias shem instead of serving as sandek.

He explained that the tefillah we recite when we give the baby a name also includes the brachah of “zeh hakatan gadol yehiyeh” — literally, "This little one should become big," but taken to mean that this boy should become great. The rosh yeshivah, who had merited to receive the brachah of “zeh hakatan gadol yehiyeh” from Rav Aharon himself, said he attributed his success in Torah to that brachah.

Rav Yeruchem concluded the story, and then turned to the baby and wished him a heartfelt, “zeh hakatan gadol yehiyeh.”

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 949)