His decision to live by emes, to raise his son with unwavering honesty, laid the foundation for a Torah revolution

INEchoes of the Maggid (ArtScroll, 1999), my grandfather, Rabbi Paysach Krohn, seamlessly weaves together divrei Torah with stories that deliver meaningful lessons. Here is a recap of “True to Life,” one of the stories in the book:

Years ago, while vacationing with her family in a bungalow colony, a woman gave birth prematurely. Her baby boy, who weighed just over two pounds, was rushed to a neonatal ICU. Doctors and nurses fought to sustain the life of the little boy with a weak heart and frail lungs who needed frequent blood transfusions.

Her husband asked if he could donate his own blood to his son.

“If your blood type matches his, we can designate it for him from our blood bank,” a doctor replied.

The father’s blood type was indeed a match, and when he arrived for his donation appointment, an older son accompanied him. This son, who had been born prematurely himself, also wanted to donate blood to his baby brother — but as they entered the room, the father noticed a sign that read, “Only those between 17 and 65 may donate blood.”

His son was still 16, and ineligible to donate.

“I’ll be 17 in two weeks,” he protested.

“I’m sorry,” his father said, “but saying you’re 17 when you’re not is false.”