by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Sefas Tamim Foundation

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The height of the golden era of the healing baths of Marienbad was in the late 1800’s until the Second World War.  Many famous people used to visit this resort town including King Edward VII of England, Emperor Franz Josef I of the Astro-Hungarian empire, Russia’s last Czar Nicholas II, Alfred Nobel, Rudyard Kipling, and lehavdil, the great Mashgiach of the Mir Yeshiva, Rav Yeruchem Levovitz zt”l among other Gedolim.

Rav Levovitz zt”l, who in all probability suffered from an undiagnosed brain tumor, used to visit Marienbad to provide relief from his intense pain and headaches, would visit during the off-season.  At the same time, there was an observant British headmaster of a school who attended the baths – probably to relieve the extraordinary stress and tension involved in his position.  Aside from the baths, Marienbad was noted for its remarkable and picturesque parks, and the two quickly developed a close relationship.

The British headmaster decided to open up to the great Mashgiach and told him of all of his intense pressures.  He left nothing unexplored, likely explaining how he must answer to an unrelenting board of trustees and a tough parent body, the emphasis not only on imbuing his students with knowledge but also following the new trend of understanding the meaning of knowledge, the difficulties of creating an intellectual environment in a changing era and numerous personal issues.

Throughout the headmaster’s entire discussion, Rav Yeruchem listened attentively.  He paid careful attention to every word and nuance that the headmaster expressed.  Finally, Rab Yeruchem gave him his advice.  His words of guidance were succinctly compacted into two Yiddish words, “Zarget nisht – “Don’t worry.”

As if by some magical force, the headmaster, who also suffered from intense headaches, was suddenly cured.  Elated, the headmaster returned to England and made his mark in his stressful but highly important position.  But how did Rav Yeruchem accomplish this remarkable change – which even the famous baths and parks of Marienbad could not accomplish?

Rav Shlomo Freifeld zatzal, the founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshiv in Far Rockaway, explained, “This was no magic or charmed luck.  Rather, it was something else entirely.  It demonstrates the power of an “ish emes” a person so imbued with the qualities of integrity and truth.  The headmaster detected this remarkable characteristic of Klal Yisroel’s most famous Mashgiach – and knew that he spoke truth.  The carefully formed loving words of “Zarget nisht” penetrated into the inner recesses of the headmaster’s psyche and he knew that he had to entirely reformulate his approach to his problems.  With the knew direction, the headmaster had finally received the guidance and direction that he needed.”

We see from here the incredible power of emes, of taking a hard look in the mirror and realizing that we ourselves are the only ones that can change our circumstances by changing our approaches. Sometimes this can only be accomplished by hearing it from an ish emes – a person of absolute integrity – that we need to stop worrying about things or blaming others, but just taking responsibility for what needs to be done.

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