True tales from the corners of our world

Rav Rimmer’s story:

The Background

I heard this story from Rav Binyomin Rimmer during bein hazmanim in Arosa, Switzerland. Rav Rimmer — a son-in-law of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv ztz”l, and extremely choshuv in his own right — addressed the oilem between Minchah and Maariv every night. As Rav Binyomin told this story about his father, Reb Mordechai Rimmer, the room was taken back in time to Poland during the war.

W

hen Mordechai Rimmer was taken to Auschwitz, he was a yeshivah bochur — and he was determined to remain one, even in this gehinnom. But for that, he had to learn — an improbability in Auschwitz at best.

One day, Mordechai heard of another Yid who had come to the camp with a Mishnayos. Here was his chance to continue learning! He approached the owner of the Mishnayos and asked if he could use it.

The man named his price — a portion of Mordechai’s daily bread allotment, the primary currency in this death camp. Mordechai didn’t argue. He simply put aside about a fifth of his daily bread, even though it had been barely enough to sustain him, but he had no other option.

When he had managed to put together enough bread to meet the man’s price, Mordechai brought it to him. The man ripped a page out of the Mishnayos and handed it to the bochur.

“Here you go,” he said. “If you want another page, come back to me with more bread.”

Again, Mordechai didn’t argue. He returned many times to hand over his bread and receive another page of Mishnayos.