Chanukah in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp

during the Holocaust. Of course, anyone that has watched some of our lectures about the Holocaust, has done some research about the Holocaust, Holocaust was the worst time anybody can remember. full of tragedy, full of spilled blood, full of horror, but it was also full of miracles for those that were paying attention. And R frame brings a story that was published in several other places of what happened in the worst of worst camps, Bergen Bellson, where there was a sadik there named Schnitzler. Sadikam. And in that area that he was in, it wasn't enough to just simply hate the Jews. They wanted to torment them. They wanted to break them. And one day one of the Nazi soldiers sees that this holy RV is still pushing along, still firm in his belief in Hashem. And he points the gunnit. And of course, everyone sees shocked, but no one's allowed to say a thing. And the Nazi soldier says to him, "You know, why should I waste a bullet on you? Such a creature that you are. So, you know what? Why don't you just say some things that reject your beliefs that will make me happy? Say you don't believe in your God, that you believe in Yosh. And then I'll spare you your life. He was certain that this Jewish rabbi that's suffering, that's being enslaved, will accept this offer. Seems like an offer no one would refuse. Who would want to die? But to his dismay and surprise, Rafnitzel doesn't waste a moment and says to him, "Never will I say anything against my God." Apparently, this Nazi really wanted to hear the rabbi reject Hashem, reject the Tua. So instead of just killing him right away, he tells him, you know, I could put a bullet in you right now and just end your life. But why? Why waste your life? You're already older. Maybe one day you'll be freed. Do what I say or I will shoot you. Andler again does not skip a beat and tells him what do you think that just because we here in this lowly place being enslaved by you that we don't see that God is running the entire world and is overseeing everything and is watching over his children even though it would seem like you're in control. Never will I ABANDON GOD AND MILVADO. There's nothing else but him. After he answered this, the Nazi got angrier and yelled at him, "Say it now, I'm going to shoot you." And says, Adonai and the Nazi shoots him. Of course, Arabs falls and immediately the rest of the Nazi soldiers start yelling, spitting on him, stepping on him [clears throat] as the Jews, afraid to even cry. Look from the side. One of the Nazi commanders saw the commotion and started cursing. AH, NOW you're going to have this body start SMELLING UP THE WHOLE PLACE. GO, GO BURY HIM RIGHT NOW. Throw him with the rest of the bodies. So, the Nazi soldier that shot the rabbi starts dragging him all the way to where the hole is, where they put all the bodies, throws them in there, and leaves. A few moments later, the eyes of the supposedly dead Rav Schnitzer open up. He's too scared to talk. He's too scared to even smile. But his heart is full of gratitude to Akadosh for saving him as the bullet that was shot at him miraculously missed by just a few centimeters and it grazed him, caused some blood to come out, but he was fine. He stayed in there for a little while and as the sun came down and became night, he got up out of there. And it was not possible for him to get out of the camp because it wasn't only the Nazis that were looking for anyone and any excuse to kill the Jews. Even the Polish partisans that were fighting against the Nazis, they also hated the Jews. So they would kill him if they saw him, too. So he just simply went back to his to his barrack to where the rest of the Jews were in a concentration camp. When the Jews saw the rabbi, they were sure this was the resurrection of the dead. This was a kushem. The rabbi is alive. HOW IS HE ALIVE? HASHEM SAVED YOU BECAUSE YOU DIED on kadushem. because you did not abandon Hashem and everybody was happy and everybody was glad and it was a bikem. But the next morning is when the decree shows itself turning 180 degrees. The next morning when that Nazi soldier opens up the place to start yelling at everybody to go to work, he seesler right in front of him and he literally almost has a heart attack. He falls on his knees. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You How How IS IT THAT HE IS ALIVE? I I I killed you. I DRAGGED YOUR BODY TO THERE. YOU WERE DEAD. OH, you've come back. He was convinced that has resurrected from the dead and came back to take revenge against him. And he started begging, I'm sorry. I know you are a holy man. You're you're not like everybody else. I'm sorry. And this Nazi became permanently scared of the RV. So much so that from that point on, he became like his helper. Anything the RV needed, he got. He even got kosher food. He even got better sleeping arrangements. He no longer had to work on Shabbat. And shortly thereafter, it was the time for Kanuka. It was the 24th of Kisv. And the Rev asked to move to a place where he has more room. And of course the Nazi no helper said, "No problem, Rabbi. You are the rabbi of Bergen Belin. I will make arrangements for you." and he found a place where either they've already killed everybody that was there or they moved him to another place most likely they killed and he put him to a place and the rabbi was asking where are we going to get a kanukia a manora to light the candles for kanuka where and as He got to this new place to his new bed. He sees that there is a pillow made out of straw. As he picked it up, out of it came out, something that was wrapped. He unwraps it and he sees a little vial of oil and a homemade manura. Monica manura in the concentration camp. And of course with this new favorable conditions the Jews were allowed to go to the rabbi the rabbi of Bergen Bellson and see the manora lit and enjoy kanuka even in the concentration camp. years later after the holocaust was over after the rabbi made aliyah is he told of his story and one day he went to meet of sat who was also in the same concentration camp at the same time but in a different place was huge. These camps were in the middle of forest. They literally had no beginning, no end. And the two sat down and spoke about their stories. And Sat says, "My found a way to get me out of there right a few days before Kanuka. on the 21st of Kisv. And until this day, the only sorrow that I have was that I was not able to use the manora that I made. And now understood where that manora came from. Just a few days before he was given that place, that new bed, a bol of Satill miraculously was removed from this holocaust, from this gay on this earth and the place was now free for to complete his journey. Because just as a bahu decreed the ra of satill's suffering will end and they would they would hurry him out of the dungeon also just that his journey took a different path. His suffering although didn't end completely certainly took a major turn to such a point that he said that that day that he got this whole thing happened was one of the happiest days of his life because he literally saw how a kadosh is with them with the Jewish people even in the gum of this world called the holocaust. costimfik is not just a story about someone that lived thousands of years ago for the purpose of entertainment. Ysef Sadik is alive today. The story of Ysef is alive today and it's simply waiting for you to apply to your life. We see how applied it to his life. We see how many of the that have gone through different types of sufferings have applied it to their life. They understood that if a bahu decreed something certainly it's for our benefit even if it hurts even if it's difficult. And there will come a time where that difficulty will no longer have the right to exist and it will end and we'll be hurried out of that dungeon. And there are certainly opportunities that a kad gives us to change the circumstance to such a point where the expiration date is no longer relevant to you. But regardless of what it is, know this. is there with us even with the blood on the floor as the Torah itself and the prophets tell us that is even with us when literally the worst of the worst is happening he's there he's not letting us go we just have to pay attention and realize that he's the one that's putting us through it in order to get us to where we would want to go and need to go. We are meant to be a light unto the nations, not to follow their misguided [music] practices. Remember, every Jew has to remember that he's a Jew and she's a Jew. We don't celebrate non-Jewish holidays, even if they seem harmless. It's aili disrespect to the Torah