A Shabbat Story: Kindness for the Dead Returned to Save His Life

During the difficult days of World War I, intense fighting broke out between the Russian and German armies. Both sides had Jews who had been forced to serve in their country’s army. But for the Jewish soldiers, the pain was even greater. Not only were they caught in brutal combat, but in the back of their minds was always the fear: what if, by defending themselves, they accidentally harmed a fellow Jew fighting on the other side?

One of those soldiers was Rabbi Chaim Chaikel Miltzky. He had been drafted into the Russian army and was stationed on the front lines. During one battle, a Jewish soldier fighting beside him was shot in the head. As he lay dying, he turned to Rabbi Chaim Chaikel and begged him to make sure he would be buried according to Jewish law, a proper Jewish burial, known as kvurah kehalachah.

Moments later, the soldier passed away. With courage and deep compassion, Rabbi Chaim Chaikel carried the fallen soldier over his shoulders and walked three kilometers to the nearest Jewish cemetery. He did this in the middle of battle, risking his life. Leaving the battlefield was considered desertion, a crime punished severely by the army. The road to the cemetery was also dangerous, filled with violent Cossacks. But with Hashem’s help, he wasn’t seen by anyone and made it there safely.

After laying the soldier to rest, he returned to his post unharmed. Soon after, the Germans gained control of the area and took the Russian soldiers prisoner. Rabbi Chaim Chaikel was among them. The Germans assigned him to watch over animals in a field outside the city.

One day, while doing his assigned job, he suddenly heard a gunshot. He turned and saw someone fall to the ground. It was a non-Jewish soldier who had been shot. Rabbi Chaim Chaikel ran to him and tried to stop the bleeding, but nothing helped. The soldier died in his arms.

Just then, a group of German soldiers passed by and immediately suspected Rabbi Chaim Chaikel of killing the man. There was no one else around. He tried to explain what happened, but no one listened. They arrested him and sentenced him to death. Until the day of his execution, he was locked in a prison cell, alone.

One night in his cell, something incredible happened. Rabbi Chaim Chaikel saw the face of the Jewish soldier he had buried, the very one he had carried on his shoulders during the war. The soldier’s spirit spoke to him and said, “Because you risked your life to make sure I received a Jewish burial, I will make sure they don’t take your life. Don’t be afraid. Just before the execution, you will be saved.”

The date was set: Tuesday at noon. The soldiers brought him out, stood him against the wall, and raised their rifles. But just as they were about to fire, a high-ranking officer came running and shouted, “Stop! Don’t shoot!”

Breathless, the officer explained that during a more careful search of the dead soldier’s body, a letter was found in his pocket. In the note, the soldier had written that he intended to take his own life. It wasn’t murder, it was suicide. Rabbi Chaim Chaikel was completely innocent.

The act of chesed shel emet, kindness for the dead, a mitzvah that cannot be repaid, had protected Rabbi Chaim Chaikel from death. The reward for his bravery and compassion had come full circle.