A Fine Cloth From Leipzig

It is told that when Rav Shulem Yosef was born, his holy father, the Ruzhiner, came in to bless the new mother and wish her mazal tov. As he gazed at the newborn, he declared, "A Leipzige shtikel sechora." ("A fine cloth from Leipzig").

Everyone assumed the Ruzhiner was praising the fineness of the infant, since Leipzig was the town where the best cloth and material could be bought. Years later, however, when Rav Shulem Yosef became ill, he traveled to Leipzig to seek a cure, and there he passed away and was buried. Only then did the Ruzhiner's prophetic words take on a new meaning altogether.