Succos Stories

SUCCOS STORIES

Compiled by R’ Yitzi Weiner

1. The first Sukkos after the Chofetz Chaim’s second marriage, his new wife asked him to build the sukkah in a different location than he had been doing all along. The Chofetz Chaim did it without a peep. After it was completed, she asked him to move it to its original place. He took it down and moved it again without saying a word. Seeing it back at its original place, she said, “You know what, I think l like it where it was the first time.” He took it down and moved it again without comment. (succos, love for wife) (Impact Volume One)

2. Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky told his guest that he suffered from the cold and was therefore exempt from sukkah. So saying, he went indoors. A few minutes later he returned. ”I may be exempt from sukkah,” he said with his characteristic smile, “but I’m not exempt from hachnasas orchim.” (succah, hachnasas orchim) (Impact Volume Two)

3. Once, a freezing wind blew into the The Gerrer Rebbe’s succah, causing The Gerrer Rebbe, the Beis Yisrael great discomfort. He wasn’t surprised. “From Heaven they are reminding me that I am not sufficiently distressed by the plight of the soldiers sleeping in the northern cold, on the Lebanese border.’ (Warmed By Their Fire) (empathy, succah)

4. Once Reb Yaakov stepped outside to inspect his succah and accidentally locked himself out of the house. He reached for the bell to the back door, which was adjacent to the succah, but stopped. ‘Why should I trouble the Rebbetzin? He said, and walked around to the unlocked front door. (Reb Yaakov) (love wife, build succah)

5. In the middle of Yom Kippur, the Feldafing DP camp residents were visited by the supreme Allied commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who later became president of the United States. The camp residents all gathered to greet him at the entrance to the camp. The Klausenberger Rebbe came to welcome the’ general with a gift of a braided challah and salt, the customary gift for a gentile ruler, in one hand and a Torah scroll in the other. In honor of General Eisenhower’s visit, a royal welcoming ceremony had been organized. The majority of the survivors wanted the Rebbe to be the main speaker, feeling that he could best express the survivors’ feelings and needs. When the Klausenberger Rebbe reached the platform, in front of eight thousand people, he unfurled the tallis in the air, recited the blessing LeHisateif Belfzitzis, and wrapped the tallis around himself in full view of the entire crowd. The Rebbe’s actions made an enormous emotional impact on the crowd. Seeing the Rebbe adorned in a tallis reminded all the survivors of their beloved parents and other loved ones who had been murdered in the sanctification of God’s name. No one dared to utter a sound. As total silence reigned, the Rebbe began to speak. In a thundering voice, he spoke of the destruction and the suffering, the lot of the Jewish people and their role in the world as the Chosen. People, the nation of Hashem. Although he began his speech by blessing General Eisenhower, the honored guest, who had been chosen by heaven to perform the great kindness of liberating an innocent people taken to slaughter, his words were directed primarily to the survivors, challenging them never to forget their heritage. Next he demanded of the “enlightened” and “cultured” countries of the world never to forget what the Nazis had done to the Jewish people. He spoke with an extraordinary strength, and his emotions heightened moment by moment. The crowd of some eight thou- sand survivors was swept along with him. Tears streamed down every face; grown men wept like babies. When the Rebbe finished speaking, he instructed the chazzan, Aharon Miller, to recite Keil Malei Rachamim for the merit of the holy martyrs. As the words were recited, the crowd wept bitterly. The welcoming ceremony had become, an extraordinary sanctification of God’s name. The atmosphere of the crowd changed completely. Lieutenant Meyer Birnbaum translated every word of the Rebbe’s speech for General Eisenhower, who was visibly affected by the speech and promised to do every- thing in his power to help the survivors. A special relationship of mutual respect developed between the Rebbe and General Eisenhower ‘a relationship which lasted many years and was utilized several times for the benefit of the religious community. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the general asked the Rebbe, “In what way can I help you now?” The Rebbe answered through the translator that he had but one request. Could the General arrange for the Rebbe and the rest of the survivors to have a set of the four species for the holiday of Sukkos? Upon hearing this request, General Eisenhower was deeply moved. He realized that the survivor standing before him was a man of God. There was no other way to explain why a survivor in a DP camp, when asked personally by ‘the supreme Allied commander for anything that he wished, would ask only for a set of the four species. A special military plane was sent to Italy on General Eisenhower’s command to pick up lulavim and esrogim, which were brought back to the Feldafing DP camp for the Rebbe and his followers. (The Klausenberger Rebbe) (lulav esrog)

7. Rabbi Mordechai of Neshchiz saved his pennies all year around in order to have enough money to buy an esrog (citron) for the mitzvah of the four species on Succos. On the way to buy the esrog, he encountered a man who was weeping bitterly and his inquiry revealed that this man had made his meager living as a porter, hauling things by horse and wagon. That day his horse had perished, and he was now without a means of livelihood. Rabbi Mordechai promptly gave the man the entire of sum of money he had saved throughout the year; in or- der that he might buy another horse. The man rushed off overjoyed, and Rabbi Mordechai turned his eyes to heaven saying, “Dear G-d, all other Jews will fulfill the mitzvah of the four species with an esrog, but I will do so with a horse.” ’ (Not Just Stories By Rabbi Dr. Avraham Twersky) (lulav)

8. It was the same old problem all over again. Berditchev was utterly without an esrog, and when one was finally secured, it was of course handed over to the safekeeping of Reb Levi Yitzchak, and the whole town had to come to his home to take turns at pronouncing the blessing over it. Now the good-hearted simple fellow who was the rebbe’s attendant started thinking. No doubt after the tzaddik had himself pronounced the berachah first, then all the elder chassidim and scholarly folk in town would be next in line after him. After them it would no doubt be the turn of all the well-to-do householders. And by the time it came to his own hands, it would no doubt be perilously close to sunset, after which it would be too late to perform the mitzvah altogether. The Evil Inclination egged him on: “Why should I lose out? Am I not as much a Jew as the rest of them? Just because it’s my good fortune to be the shammes of the tzaddik, should I therefore have to suffer?” He had a solution! Early in the morning, very early, when the tzaddik was still occupied immersing himself in the mikveh, and taking his time over all the mystical thoughts that he was always busy with, he, the shammes, would take hold of the esrog – quietly, secretly – and use it to pronounce the berachah first! At the crack of dawn on the morning of’ the first day of Sukkos the tzaddik went off to the mikveh. Taking his cue, the shammes picked his way stealthily to where the esrog was kept. But at this point Satan himself intervened. For so anxious was the shammes lest he be found out, that his hands trembled. The esrog fell to the floor, the pitom at its tip snapped off – and the esrog was invalid! The unfortunate fellow was so alarmed that he almost fainted. What on earth could he do? Not only would his shameful deed be discovered — that he had planned to use the esrog before the tzaddik – but now the tzaddik would have no esrog at all. And he himself, the shammes, was the only one to blame! There was no way out. He would have to tell the whole sorry story to the rebbe, come what may. Wretched and disconsolate he sat and waited – until at length the tzaddik came home in lively anticipation of the mitzvah. And as the honest shammes sobbed out his disjointed account of the calamity his innards trembled within him. Surely the holy man would now call down upon him all the well-deserved wrath of heaven … To his amazement, however, the tzaddik showed no trace of anger or irritation. Instead, he took up the despoiled esrog in both hands, and in the voice of joyful ecstasy which was his whenever he spoke up in Israel’s defense, he exclaimed: “Master of the Universe! Just look down and see how Your  Children  cherish  Your  mitzvos! So  much  so,  in  fact,  that  even  an unlettered fellow like my shammes here is willing to risk getting himself into trouble by invalidating the esrog, all because he is so keen to perform the mitzvah with alacrity, to be one of those who are eager to be the first to obey Your commands … ” (esrog, dan lekaf zechus) A Treasury of Chassidic Tales on the Festivals, By Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, Published  By Artscroll Mesorah page 157

9. For many years, Rav Pam ended his Friday mesivta class with a shiur in Mesilas Yesharim.“ In 1952, when the class was learning ”mishkal hachasidus” (“the balance of piety ”) Rav Pam taught this lesson through a real- life example. On an Erev Shabbos in the month of Elul as the day drew to a close, he said, ”Bachurim, I need your help with something.” He went onto say that the landlord of his apartment in East New York had informed him that he was raising the monthly rent from $40 to $45. Rav Pam told his talmidim that he could afford a raise of about $2.50 a month but not $5-. He felt that if he told this to the landlord, the man would most probably relent and settle for the lower amount. However, he would not be happy about it and bad feelings might linger. Rav Pam wished to avoid this, especially since the landlord was his neighbor and good relations with neighbors is crucial. There was one way to solve this dilemma. “The arbah minim (four species) which I buy each year costs between 25 and 30 dollars. I am the ‘Shabbos Rav’ where I daven,” Rav Pam told his talmidim. “The shul purchases an arbah minim set so that those who do not own one can fulfill the mitzvah. If I were to forgo purchasing my own set and use the shul’s, I would have the additional money I need to pay the $5 raise. My question is: what is the right thing to do? Should I purchase my own set as usual and ask the landlord to settle for a- smaller raise, or should I“ forgo my purchase of arbah minim for this year and give him the raise that he wants? “Think about it and Sunday you will let me know what you decided. ”Sunday morning, Rav Pam asked for a show of hands in favor of his suggestion. Most felt that it would be proper to forgo purchasing the arbdah minim so that the landlord could be given the raise he sought. Rav -Pam smiled. “I thought the same,” he said. (lulav) (Rav Pam)

10. One year, Yom Kippur fell on a Thursday, Hudi, a talmid from America, went away for the Shabbos between Yom Kippur and Succos, leaving a lulav he had purchased near his bed in the dormitory. He returned to find his bedding askew — and that his lulav had become pussul. “What happened to my bed?” Hudi asked his roommate, not wanting to confront him about the lulav. “Oh, my friend came for Shabbos and needed a place to sleep,” the 1-norm mate replied nonchalantly. “I figured you wouldn’t mind …” Hudi was very perturbed, and he expressed his frustration to Rav Nossan Tzvi. “Lots of people bring me lulavim because they want me to use their lulav,” Rav Nosson Tzvi replied. “Come to my house later and choose a lulav from my collection.” Later that day, Hudi came to Rav Nosson Tzvi’s home and found several beautiful lulavim on the table. He chose one, and then asked Rav Nosson Tzvi how much it cost. Rav Nosson Tzvi wouldn’t take the full price, insisting that Hudi pay him the price he had paid for his first lulav — which was less than half the value of His lulav! “But I’m doing this on one condition,” Rav Nosson Tzvi said. “You can’t bear a grudge against your roommate.” Hudi agreed, and went back to yeshiva elated at the thought of using this beautiful luluv on Succos. Only later did he find out that the Rosh Yeshiva had not had any extra lulavim. He had asked family members to put all their lulavim on the table, and then made sure that each one had a lulav — besides him. He was punctilious in his mitzvah observance because he loved all mitzvos and the mitzvah of promoting peace in the yeshiva was as important as the others‘ . (Rav Nosson Tzvi) (lulav, lo sitar)

11. Despite his humility, the Steipler knew that his actions were carefully noted by others and he kept this in mind at all times. Before Succos one year, he went to a certain store seeking a lulav which met his exacting standards. However, he could not find one to his liking and he left the store empty-handed. After taking a few steps down the street, he suddenly turned around, reentered the store and soon emerged with a lulav. He later explained, “ln truth, I did not find any lulavim to my liking. But after leaving the store it dawned on me that if people would see me leaving the store empty-handed, they might say, ‘R’ Kanievsky was in that store and could not find a single kosher lulav!‘ This would cause unwarranted loss of business, not to mention distress, to the proprietor. That is why l bought one which is kosher, though I do not plan to use it.” (lulav) (5 Great Lives)

12. One Erev Succos, the litigant in a case insisted on a halachic decision and not a compromise. Rav Scheinberg asked him if he had purchased his esrog yet. The fellow responded that indeed he had. When Rav Scheinberg asked him how much he had paid for it, the man mentioned a large sum of money. Rav Scheinberg noted that the man obviously had an appreciation for mitzvos, and thus offered him a mitzvah at a bargain price. All he needed to do was compromise at the din Torah. ‘ (Rav Scheinberg) (compromise)

13. A man had no money to buy an esrog for Sukkos. His wife had an exceptional pair of tefillin which she had inherited from her father and had given him in her dowry. Since the husband owned another pair of tefillin he decided to sell those tefillin to buy himself an esrog with the proceeds. At the end of the day, he returned home beaming with joy, with an excellent and expensive esrog in his hands. His wile couldn’t believe her eyes. “Where on earth did you get money to buy such a beautiful esrog?” she asked. “l sold your father’s tefillin — they were not being used anyway.” The wife exploded in anger. “You fool You dared sell my father’s tefillin?” She lunged at her husband and knocked the esrog out of his hands. It fell to the ground and a piece broke off, making it possul (unfit for use) — and worthless. The man calmly bent over, picked up the esrog, held it in his hand to appraise the damage — but didn’t say a word. And then, after a few moments, he Suddenly began Singing and dancing. His wife looked at him in amazement. “Are you out of your mind?” She asked. Not at all, he said, obviously very happy. “i lost my precious tefillin; l lost my perfect esrog. But I was able to control myself and I did not lose my Shalom Bayis. Could anything be more of a reason for joy?” (The River, The Kettle, and The Bird)

14. After repaying his loan to the Chasam Sofer. ‘ a man took out a gorgeous esrog box to give him as a token of his appreciation. The Chasam Sofer examined it from all sides and effusively praised its beauty. His talmidim were shocked, knowing that accepting the box would be a classic transgression of the prohibition against taking interest. Noticing the look on their faces. the great man told them a story about his rebbe Harav Hosson Adler. Rav Adler was once waiting to be driven somewhere on a wagon. One of the horses pulled up lame, and the driver went to find a replacement. He came back with an ox, which he proceeded to hitch up to the wagon. Rav Adler immediately jumped out of the wagon and started dancing. He explained to the astonished driver that he was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to fulfill the command of not using kilayim, a forbidden animal combination, for pulling the wagon. “I can’t accept the box because it’s ribis. interest,” the Chasam Sofer said, “but l admired and praised it to appreciate what I’m giving up. This way the mitzvah will be mehudar.” (esrog, ribis, kilaim of animals) (Impact Volume Three)

15. The Manchester rosh yeshivah would run to his succah on the first night of Succos with the excitement of a young child. One Succos, he was visited by a talmid. When the talmid rose to leave, the Rosh Yeshivah escorted him to the door of the succah and stopped. “Please forgive me — I would love to escort you further,” he said, “but it would mean too great a loss — each moment that one is in the succah he fulfills a mitzvah.” (succah) (The Manchester Rosh Yeshiva)

16. In the days before Reb Yissachar Dov (the Sava Kaddisha) of Radoshitz became known as a rebbe, he was so poor that he often fasted because he simply had no bread to eat. One year he had eaten nothing for a few days before Yom Kippur, and even after the fast was over he had nothing better than meager rations of bread and water. Nor could he afford to prepare anything at all for the oncoming festival of Sukkos. After the evening service on the first night of the festival he remained in the synagogue, for he knew that at home there was nothing to eat. But he did not know that on the eve of the festival his wife had sold some modest item of jewelry that she had found among her possessions, and with the proceeds had bought braided challos and candles and potatoes. When he decided that most people had by now finished eating in their sukkah and had probably returned to their houses, he left the synagogue and went home. Entering his sukkah, he was overjoyed to see candles and challos on the table. He washed his hands, recited Kiddush, and sat down to eat. By this stage he was well-nigh starving, so he ate the potatoes which his wife served him with a ravenous appetite. While, he was eating a thought flashed through his, mind. “Berl,” he said to himself, “you’re not sitting in the sukkah: you’re sitting in your plate!” And he stopped eating. (succah, kedusha) A Treasury of Chassidic Tales on the Festivals, By Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, Published By Artscroll Mesorah page 145

17. The petirah of the Rosh Hayeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisrael, Rav Yaakov Weinberg, zt”I, in the summer of 1999 was a terrible blow to the Baltimore community. A father figure to many, Rav Weinberg had a dynamic personality that endeared him to his students and so many others. Although life seemed to have stopped that fateful Thursday. everyday tasks still had to continue. As Mrs. Michal Seidemann was doing her weekly shopping, she noticed a woman with tears streaming down her cheeks putting food in her shopping cart. The woman kept repeating, “Who will l now turn to for advice?” Mrs. Seidemann barely knew this woman but felt compelled to try to comfort her. But her efforts were futile; the woman was inconsolable. “You don’t understand,” sobbed the woman. “l called the Rosh Hayeshiva with all of my problems, and he was always there to guide me. Let me tell you something extraordinary that he did for my family that will give you an idea why l am so distraught. As you know, I am a single mother of five young children, and money is always tight. When Succos was ap- proaching, l realized that I had no money for a succah. l called the Rosh Hayeshiva to ask him if it was necessary for me to build a succah, since my children were all under the age of Bar Mitzvah. The Rosh Hayeshiva explained to me that technically l wasn‘t required to have a succah. However, it is wonderful for children to have memories of family meals in their own succah. Therefore, it would certainly be marvelous if l could obtain one. “After our conversation, l understood the importance of building a succah, yet l had no idea how l would get the money to buy one. l barely had time to think about it when a truck pulled up in front of my home the next day. A young man ap- peared at my door and asked my name. Within minutes, he began emptying panels of wood from his truck. Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched him assemble the most beautiful succah in my backyard. “I found out that immediately after I had spoken with the Rosh Hayeshiva, he had called this fellow who builds succahs and asked him to build one for me at the Rosh Hayeshiva’s expense. Although l had never once mentioned to him that l did not have money to pay for a succah, he understood my dilemma simply from my question. This is just one example of how the Rosh Hayeshiva looked out for my family. There were so many more.” Yes, the Rosh Hayeshiva was absolutely correct. This family was able to create many years of memories in their own succah and when they sit in their succah each year, they remember Rav Weinberg’s wisdom, kindness, and concern. (For Goodness’ Sake) (succah)

18. It was a terribly sad day in the year 1827. The wife of Rav Yeshaya Bardaki and mother of his two small children had just passed away after a sudden illness. The young boy and his older sister felt a deep void in their lives, and nothing Rav Yeshaya did could alleviate their pain or mitigate their sadness. After much deliberation, he decided that the best thing to do was to start anew. He would take his two children and leave Pinsk, to go to Eretz Yisrael. There, he hoped, he would be able to rebuild his life and give his children the chance to experience the joy they had shared in the past. Rav Yeshaya was a gadol b’Torah and a pillar of the Pinsk community. The news of his planned departure was met with a mix of sadness and joy: sadness that they would be losing a great Torah giant, but joy that he and his two children would have a chance to begin their lives anew. Shortly after Pesach, the big day arrived; the family packed up their meager belongings and prepared for the long journey. They traveled from town to town, staying in inns or in people‘s homes. as they slowly made their way toward their final destination. Rav Yeshaya would put his children to sleep every night by telling them stories about the heavenly city of Yerushalayim. Finally, after a few months. they were about to begin the final leg of their journey. They had reached the city of Beirut, Lebanon, just north of Eretz Yisrael. They were ready to take a boat from there to the port city of Acco, where they hoped to arrive right before Succos. As Rav Yeshaya reached the port, he saw a group of men loading a ship with wood to take to Acco in order to build a house for a wealthy gentleman who lived there. Rav Yeshaya was anxious to board that boat, but the gruff men were not interested in taking along any extra passengers and baggage. Rav Yeshaya reached down into his pocket, pulled out the last of his money, and gave it to the men in the hope that it was enough to convince them to change their minds. It was. And so, they boarded the ship destined for Acco, eagerly anticipating their arrival in the Holy Land. The trip was not supposed to be a long one. But as soon as they set sail, the sky darkened, the winds picked up, and a storm began to rock the ship. Rav Yeshaya davened that everything should turn out well. The sailors were quite concerned, but then, just as quickly as the storm had begun, it disappeared. All in the boat were grateful, especially Rav Yeshaya, who thanked Hashem for allowing them all to continue safely. His children, who had endured so much adversity in their young lives, handled the tough conditions with the maturity of those many years their senior. The ship was now scheduled to reach its destination a few days later than originally planned, so it was obvious that they would still be on board when Succos began. The men on the ship graciously offered Rav Yeshaya some of the wood they were carrying so that he could build a temporary succah. This generosity on the part of the rough sailors made Rav Yeshaya realize that although he had not yet arrived in Eretz Yisrael, the Hand of Hashem was guiding and protecting him. The next day, the winds picked up once again and the ship tossed and turned, hurling them from one side of the deck to the other. The sky grew dark; the storm that was brewing seemed to be much more treacherous than the first one. The thunder cracked and bursts of lightning lit up the sky. The sails fluttered wildly in the air, as the ship struggled to stay afloat. Suddenly, someone screamed, “Land! Land!” The land, though visible, was still a few thousand feet away. The enormous waves carried the boat high in the air, and then came crashing down violently, flooding the deck. Rav Yeshaya held onto his two small children, davening that they had not come this far for naught. Some of the sailors jumped into the sea, hoping they could swim for it, but Rav Yeshaya was unable to do so with his two small children. There was no way they would be able to make it. Then all of a sudden, a tremendous noise ripped through the air; the ship had broken in two! Rav Yeshaya fell into the ocean, holding onto his children with all of his strength. The ferocious, violent waves threatened to drown them. He tried his utmost to hold onto them, but his grasp was slipping. He looked at his children, each one holding onto one of his arms as their heads kept dipping under the water Try as he might, he could not prevail. He felt himself being pulled down. He wanted, more than anything he had ever wanted, not to let go. But he couldn’t! “Please! Hashem, help me!” And then there was darkness and silence The sun beat down on him and he squinted to block it from view. When he finally managed to open his eyes, Rav Yeshaya looked around and reality set in. He had made it. He was alive! But what about the children?! He looked down along the shore and saw his son’s body lying there. He picked him up; after a few frightening moments, the little boy coughed up some water and opened his eyes. He was alive! Rav Yeshaya then thought about his daughter and began to cry bitterly. All of a sudden, he noticed a form lying farther down the shore. He ran over there and saw that it was his daughter’s lifeless body. With a feeling of dread he bent down to pick her up, a sickening feeling rising up from his stomach. But just as had happened with his son, she began to cough! She too was alive! lt was a miracle! A short while later she explained what had happened. The two children had somehow managed to grab hold of one of the pieces of wood from the succah on the ship, and had floated on it to the shore. Rav Yeshaya held onto both of his children and looked up to Shamayirn. How could he ever thank Hashem?! He made his way to the center of town where the townspeople welcomed him and helped him get settled. Soon after, he traveled to Yerushalayim, settled there, and became one of their most prestigious rabbanim. He was zocheh to live there with his children and grandchildren for the rest of his life. Reflecting on this incredible episode, Rav Yeshaya Bardaki saw in it a lesson of great significance. He compared it to times when people feel that they are drowning, when life has overwhelmed them and they feel that they can’t hold on, or perhaps don’t deserve to continue because they have failed the Al-mighty. That is when they must cry out, “Hashem, please don ’t let go of me. ” And He will never let go. He is our Father, of course, and the compassion He has for each and every one of us supersedes what we may deserve. When He sees our fear and the need we have to hold onto Him, He will not let go of us. Not today Not tomorrow Not ever (succah, gam zu letovah, tefilla) (A Touch Of Warmth)

19. If you were on the poor side, finding boards out of which to build the walls of your sukkah was always a problem. Year after year, therefore, Reb Mordechai of The eve Lechovitch used to prepare a stock of them, and lend of them out to the poor folk of the town during the few Sukkos days between Yom Kippur and the festival of Sukkos. One year, on a Friday, the very eve of Sukkos, a threadbare cobbler, lame in one leg, made his way up to the door of the tzaddik. Could he borrow just a few planks for his sukkah? The tzaddik answered that there were none left. Looking out of his window, he then saw the ragged fellow limping from house to house, still in search of a few boards. He felt so sorry for him that he burst into tears. “Master of the Universe!” he cried. “Just look how Your Children cherish the mitzvah of living in a sukkah! See with what self-sacrifice they are determined to fulfill it! It’s raining outside. The alleys are full of mud and mire. Yet there he tramps, that ragged cobbler, lame in one leg, and wearing torn shoes – looking for boards for a sukkah! Look down, then, Master of the Universe, from Your holy dwelling-place in heaven. Bless Your People, Israel- and spread out over them Your Sukkah, Your Tabernacle of Peace.” The tzaddik then climbed up to the roof of his house, and searched about until he found a few boards. These he handed to his attendant with the instruction that he should run after the cobbler with them, and since it was the eve of Shabbos, when time would be even shorter than usual, he should help him to build his sukkah as well. (buid a succah) A Treasury of Chassidic Tales on the Festivals, By Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, Published By Artscroll Mesorah page 139

20. Reb Meir Chasman was a close friend of the Rav, R’ Shimshon Polinsky. This year he was so excited he was able to get the most beautiful esrog for the Rav. Shortly afterward he had a baby boy. He gave the esrog to the Rav, and also asked him to be the sandek at his bris on the first day of succos. Succos morning came and all the relatives came and everyone was so excited to see the most beautiful esrog that they all heard about. But before Hallel Reb Shimshon asked R Meir if it would be possible to borrow his. R’ Meir was very surprised but gave it to him. The rav used it and gave it back. During hallel the Rav took out a very ordinary esrog that looked bruised and had a broken pitum. Everyone was shocked, because they heard this was the most beautiful esrog in the world. But he used it with such kavana, and sincerity as if it was really beautiful. After davening R’ Meir came to the Rav. “What happened to the beautiful esrog I gave you”. “I do have the most beautiful esrog”. Rav Shimshon said he woke up in the morning and was so excited to shake the gorgeous esrog. He took it the Succah and saw the neighbor’s 6 year old daughter playing with her father’s esrog. It fell out of her hand and rolled on the floor. She picked it up and tears fell down her cheeks because she was afraid of how her father would react. R Shimshon went to her and said please tell your father that the Rav found a pesul in his esrog but he had an extra one. He gave the girl his beautiful esrog. R Shimshon said in the morning I thought I had the most beautiful esrog, but I was wrong. I am now using an even more beautiful esrog than before. This is the most beautiful one in the world. 128 chesed, esrog, hiddur mitzva (Touched by a Story Volume Two)

21. One year in Radin there was a shortage of esrogim. They were only able to buy one esrog for the while town. On succos, the Chofetz Chaim stood in line like everyone else, waiting his turn. He refused to be given any extra privileges. Then there was the question of who would hold it for Hallel. They offered it to the Chofetz Chaim. He said holding it during Hallel is only a custom. If I am the only one who will hold it, it may cause someone pain. I have no right to perform a custom at the expense of another Jew. The esrog symbolized a beautiful heart. The Chafetz Chaim’s heart was a great model for what it represented. (Touched by a Story Volume 3) 183 esrog