A Shabbat Story: Miracles in the Forest: A Torah Scholar’s Hidden Blessing

There was a beautiful custom in earlier generations, especially among Torah scholars in Israel. Even back in Talmudic times, our Sages spoke about it. Today it might sound far-fetched, but until about seventy years ago, it was quite common.

A young man would get married and then, with his wife's agreement, leave for another city to study Torah full time. He would learn with a great rabbi who had a yeshiva (Torah learning institution), while his wife remained at home. The most well-known example of this is Rabbi Akiva, who famously left his wife Rachel for 24 years to learn Torah.

This was also the practice of the saintly Rabbi Aharon Roth, later known for his holiness, purity, and the powerful teachings in his sefer (holy book) Shomer Emunim ("Guardian of Faith"). After his wedding, he left his home and traveled to the city of Waitzen to learn Torah in the yeshiva of Rabbi Yeshaya Silberstein, author of Maasei LaMelech.

Each month, money was sent from home to cover his basic expenses. This was usually provided by his father-in-law, who had agreed to support the young couple for a time after the wedding. Rabbi Aharon used this money to pay for his simple food and housing.

But one month, the money didn’t arrive. In those days, if a student couldn’t afford to stay at the lodging, the usual backup was to rotate meals at the homes of kind townspeople. This was a common and respected way for yeshiva students to get by.

But Rabbi Aharon refused to rely on others. He didn’t want to live off of “gifts from flesh and blood.” So he went out to a quiet spot in the forest near the city and poured out his heart to Hashem, asking for help. After his tearful prayer, he returned to his room and found in his wallet exactly the amount he needed for that month.

The following month, no support arrived again. His father-in-law may no longer have been able to help. Rabbi Aharon went back to the forest, cried out once more with deep faith, and again returned to find the exact amount of money waiting for him. This happened month after month.

The woman who owned the home where he was staying began to notice something strange. No mail was arriving for Rabbi Aharon anymore, yet he continued to pay on time, down to the last coin. She knew he was completely immersed in Torah study all day and didn’t engage in any business or outside activity. So where was the money coming from?

Curious, she asked him but he wouldn’t answer.

Still, every couple of weeks, she came back with the same question. Rabbi Aharon, known for his holiness and for guarding his eyes and thoughts with extreme care, didn’t want to continue speaking with her. So finally, he told her the truth, hoping she would stop asking.

With innocence and simplicity, he explained that he would go into the nearby forest and pray from the depths of his soul to his Father in Heaven and then, somehow, he would receive exactly what he needed, just enough to get by. It was all through Hashem’s kindness.

But after he shared the secret, something changed.

At the end of that month, Rabbi Aharon went to the forest again and davened (prayed) as always, pouring out his soul. But this time, nothing came. The blessing had stopped.

Because once a miracle becomes known and spoken about, it loses some of its power. As our Sages taught, blessing rests only on what is hidden from the eye. And often, miracles are hidden within natural events, only revealed to those with deep faith.

Though the money no longer appeared, Rabbi Aharon continued to rely on Hashem, living with quiet strength and unshakable belief.