Storytime

The venerable nonegarian Rosh Yeshiva, הגאון רבי אליקים שלעזינגער שליט”א was unwell, and the family debated whether he was best transferred to a hospital, or whether they could care for him adequately at home. After much give and take they decided to forward the שאלב to R’ elyokim’s rebbe, the centenarian מרן הגרמ”ד הלונ שליט”א.

The גרמ”ד was sorry that one of his oldest talmidim was unwell, and after listening listening to the צדדים asked if the Rosh Yeshiva was still able to be mekayem מצות ציצית and ensured the family that tzitzis is a shemira, and if R’ elyakim is mekayem the mitzva properly he is safe remaining at home. He further added “ציצית איז א שמירה אוף אלס”

The family were surprised at the choice as the GraMaD normally bases himself on clear gemorras and poskim, not on segulas, and they were unaware of any source of tzitzis bringing about a refu’a, but they obviously wouldn’t question a p’sak from an אדם גדול They immediately found a mehudar set of tzitzis, and put on their bedridden pajama clad father, and indeed within a short amount of time R’ Elyakim shlit”a took a turn for the better. Nonetheless they were surprised at the suggestion.

A short while afterwards R’ Elyokim’s youngest son, R’ alte Yaakov, an accomplished talmid chochom in his own right and maggid shiur at a local yeshiva, went on a Friday afternoon to his local bank, upon arrival it was closed, and he walked another ten minutes towards Finsbury Park to a different branch. Outside the bank he was viciously attacked, and stabbed eleven times, By tremendous nissim the stabber missed נםאי his intestines and his lungs by millimeters and apart from bruising he was okay.

Suddenly the family ware reminded of a gemara in shabbos, בעון ציצית בנים קטינם מתים …… and appreciated that indeed ציצית איז א שמירה אוף אלס