Six Mile Radius - Monthly Gedolim Story

As we get deep into the month of Sivan, i wanted to take the time this week to share the Monthly Gadol Story.

This one was one that I originally read in the book, "Maggid Stories for Children," by Chaviva Krohn Pfeiffer, before watching it in animated form on the Shabbos edition of her father Rabbi Paysach Krohn's "Living Lessons" series.

It takes place during the war between the US and Korea in 1953 and features a great Tzaddik, Rabbi Shraga Zev (Philip) Zimmerman.

Anyway, with that introduction now taken care of, let's get into the story.

I hope you enjoy it.

Your friend

Yitzy Schweitzer.

Six Mile Radius - Monthly Gedolim Story

Now, during the war, Rabbi Zimmerman was a chaplain in the US army, stationed at an army base named Camp Gordon. As part of being a chaplain, he would host the minyanim for any Jewish servicemen, every day, especially on Shabbos.

Well, one shabbos night after the Tefilos, a young Private, who will call Daniel Fineberg, came to him and said, "Chaplain, sir, I need your help desperately."

Rabbi Zimmerman welcomed him to sit down and wished him a Shabbat Shalom before asking how he could be of assistance.

"Chaplain, I have three letters here with me. The first one says that I am supposed to be transferred to Korea Sunday morning. But these other two letters are from my parents' heart doctors. See, I have elderly parents, and I'm an only child. We all survived the Second World War together,and if they find out that I have to be transferred to Korea, G-d forbid, they will die from fright, from a heart attack. Sir, I am begging you, please, get me a compassionate transfer. I can not go to Korea."

Rabbi Zimmerman said, "Listen, I don't know how I could do that when in the middle of war. But I'll do whatever I can."

The next morning was, of course, Shabbos morning, and obviously, Rabbi Zimmerman couldn't drive. So he walked six miles to the head of the army base to see General James.

General James was surprised to see Rabbi Zimmerman so early in the morning. "Well, I'll be a kernel on the corn Rabbi. What'cha doin' here so early this mornin'?!" He exclaimed.

Rabbi Zimmerman said, "General, I have a great favour to ask of you." He then told him the story about the young Private who had survived the Second World War with his elderly parents and who was supposed to be transferred to Korea on Sunday morning.

Rabbi Zimmerman said, "General, I'm asking you for a compassionate transfer for this young man because of the ill health of his elderly parents."

Well, General James was not best pleased by this request. "Rabbi," he barked furiously, "We are in the middle of a war here! There is no way these orders will be changed, and you know that!"

He then took a look at the chaplains lapel of his uniform. "Look what you have here, Rabbi! You've got the Ten Commandments on your lapel. They are made out of stone. Do you know why the ten commandments were made out of stone? Because stones can't be broken. Same with my laws. My laws are like stone, and they can not and will not be broken. Therefore, there is no transfer and no reassignment."

Well, Rabbi Zimmerman felt truly terrible, but there was nothing he could do, and he was rather surprised at how angry General James was about the whole situation.

As the General watched Rabbi Zimmerman leave, he called out after him, "Chaplain, where is your jeep?"

Rabbi Zimmerman responded, "Sir, I have no Jeep."

"What to do you mean you have no Jeep?! You walked here?!" The General asked, surprised.

Rabbi Zimmerman responded that he had indeed walked to the General that morning. "But it's six miles from where you are stationed!" The General said, still not believing what he just heard.

Rabbi Zimmerman replied, "That's right, Sir. I walked here six miles, and I'll walk back six miles. It's my Sabbath you see. I just wanted to help that young serviceman, but I can not get into a Jeep on my Sabbath."

Well. I'll tell ya. General James was rather quite stunned by this. He told Rabbi Zimmerman to come back into the office, and once he was inside, General James, picked up the telephone and asked for the second-in-command, Colenel Wright. "Listen to me, Colenel. I give you the order right now that young Private Daniel Fineberg should be transferred to Govenors Island, and with my instructions, he must visit his elderly parents every night in New York.
Make sure my orders on this one are carried out immediately!"

Rabbi Krohn ends the story on the animation video with a simple message. "When a Yid is mekadesh Shabbos, when a Yid keeps Shabbos holy, everyone - Yidden and non-Jews alike - are impressed and a great Kiddush Hashem is made!"