A Promise from the Heart: “Your Wife Will Return Soon”

The Rebbe of Kopyczynitz, Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel, was known not only for his wisdom but for his deep love of every Jew. After the horrors of the Holocaust, he became a source of comfort and strength for many survivors who arrived in America shattered in body and spirit. Whenever he heard about another Jew in pain, he would often break into heartfelt tears, as if their suffering were his own.

One day, a man who had barely escaped the fires of Europe came to the Rebbe’s home in utter despair. He had managed to immigrate to the United States and hoped to start rebuilding his life, but his wife, who had also survived, was denied entry. The authorities claimed her health wasn’t good enough to allow her into the country. She was held on Ellis Island, awaiting deportation. Her husband was broken. "Rebbe," he wept, "I have no reason to live without my wife. Please, help us."

The Rebbe looked at him gently and said, “Don’t worry. I promise you that by next week, your wife will be with you.”

The man’s face changed completely. The Rebbe’s words filled him with comfort and strength. He left with new hope in his heart.

But one of the Rebbe’s students, who overheard this bold promise, was shocked. After the man left, the student quietly asked, “Rebbe, how could you say such a thing? The government is strict about these things! What if she isn’t allowed in?”

The Rebbe answered softly, “Did you see how broken he was? I needed to give him peace. At least this week, he’ll have hope. If the miracle doesn’t happen, he’ll say, ‘Avraham Yehoshua was wrong, he isn’t a real rabbi.’ But for this week, he’ll feel alive again. And that matters.”

Then the Rebbe opened his Tehillim (Book of Psalms) and began to pour his heart out to Hashem. His student listened as the Rebbe cried and pleaded, “Please, Hashem, please—don’t let Avraham Yehoshua be a liar. I only wanted to help another Jew. I didn’t mean to speak falsely. Please, have mercy…”

Tears streamed down the Rebbe’s face as he continued to pray late into the night.

And Heaven listened.

By the end of the week, the authorities changed their decision. The woman was allowed to enter the United States and was reunited with her husband.

Hashem hears every cry. And sometimes, it is the love and prayers of one Jew for another that opens the gates of mercy.