Early Days in Yerushalayim

As Pesach 5706 approached, the Tchebiner Rav arrived in Yerushalayim, and his faithful talmid Rav Mordechai Mondshein arranged for him to stay at the Babad hotel, where he conducted the Seder and celebrated Yom Tov. They stayed there for some three months in all. It later came to light that Rav Mordechai had pawned his wife's jewelry and borrowed money from a gemach in Shaarei Chessed to pay for the Rav's accommodations, and that she had agreed wholeheartedly and with love.

When the Tchebiner Rav davened on Shavuos in the beis medrash of the Imrei Emes, the Gerrer Rebbe said: "Today we honor the Ten Commandments with the Torah himself, the Tchebiner Rav."

In 5707, Rav Dov Berish met the gaon Rav Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky in Yerushalayim. Rav Yosef Tzvi remarked: "I seem to remember that your father, Rav Yekele of Hrimlov, had two sons in the rabbinate and one who was a merchant. It was well known that the two rabbanim were gedolim in Torah. I once met the third brother, the businessman, when I was on vacation in Marienbad, and it seemed to me that his genius surpassed that of his two brothers. You are the Tchebiner Rav, so perhaps you can tell me what happened to your brother, the businessman?"

Rav Dov Berish stayed silent, embarrassed and humble, while those present hinted to Rav Dushinsky that the third brother, once a businessman, was none other than the man sitting across from him.