Meeting the Tzadik Rav Zundel Kroizer ztl
In 2007 my wife and I traveled to Yerushaliyim to spend Succos with our youngest newlywed couple. During our visit we decided to meet with the Tzadik Horav Zundel Kroizer, at his very humble dwelling in Botei Brode, to receive his brocho. It was a very spiritually uplifting experience. Just to be in his presence was a moment to cherish. While there it became apparent that he was surviving on the very bare minimum. Before departing I offered him some money. He refused to take it. “I only accept money to hand out to the poor” he said. Basically what he needed for his own livelihood didn’t count. What was given to him, he gave to other poor people, so they could live. In his eyes he was not important at all and certainly not needy.
As we were leaving I noticed piles of new seforim in a book case off to the side and asked Rav Zundel if he authored them. “Yes” was his reply. “Can I purchase a sefer”? “Yes”. Short answers. No extra words. “How much does this sefer cost?” “Thirty five shekels”. I pulled out a $50 bill, worth 250 shekels at the time and gave it to him. My hope was that through the purchase he would wind up keeping some money for himself. I was in for a big surprise. He refused to take it and said, “it is forbidden for me to accept more money then the actual selling price value of the sefer. However if I say to him, “לדידי שוה לי” to me the purchase price is worth it, then he would accept it. I complied with his wishes and he accepted the money. Fearing that he would give it away, I said to him, “the Rebbe also needs to live”. What he answered now was truly shocking. “קמך יש לי, תורה אין לי”. Flour I have, Torah I don’t have”. He lacks for nothing and needs nothing. The only thing he thirst for is additional Torah knowledge. Mind you he was clear and fluent in all the revealed and hidden areas of Torah. Due to his extreme humbleness, he didn’t consider himself knowledgeable or worthy of anything more then what was absolutely required for his daily existence.
How fortunate we were to have the merit to stand in the presence of such greatness, a true Eved Hashem, permeated through and through with holiness, piety and purity.יהי זכרו ברוך.