A Powerfull Story For Aseres Yemei Teshuva -Reposted From Last Year

Lz"n R. Yitzchok Amram Eliyahu ben R. Avrohom Ashi Zt"l
(who was a Holocaust Survivor*)Yahrzeit 2nd day Rosh Hashanah

A holocaust survivor asked R. Itzikel zt"l (Antwerp) . We say the Avinu Malkeinu "harugim al sheim kodshecha- t'vuchim al yichudecha.

Why two leshonos, sheim kodshecha and yichudecha.

R. Itzikel was stumped and had no answer.

The holocaust  survivor said "let me give the rebbe my answer".

When the nazis ym"s marched into the town, they assembled 100 men and lined them up in front of the river.

The nazi with a machine gun started shooting from the right side and moved his gun towards the left till he killed all the men.

When the  shooting began, all men started to say the shema together.

The people on the right died when they said hashem elokeinu.

They did not manage to finish the posuk(harugim al sheim kodshecha)

The people on the left managed to stay alive for the extra second to say hashem echod (yichudecha)

R. Itzikel zt"l couldn't stop crying after hearing this pshat.

FOR PART 2 CLICK HERE

I heard this story from R. Menachem Hasenfeld shlita who heard it from a close source.

*R. Yitzchok Donath zt"l (my uncle) was Moser Nefesh and risked his life together with the Veitzener Rav zt"l to blow Shofar for 1,400 children who were destined to the crematoria the following. day in Auschwitz. He enabled them to the last Mitzvah in this world with

Tekias Shofar. My uncle too was Niftar with his last Mitzvah of Tekias Shofar.

יהא זכרם ברוך.