Young Shloimale entered the kitchen breathlessly. He met his
mother, Rebbetzin Katz there, as she was busy cooking. She
stood by the large stove, ladling some hot soup into a large
bowl. Young Shloimale was curious. "Mother, who is our guest
today?" he asked.
"Oh, a very important man! A Rosh Yeshivah!" Rebbetzin Katz
smiled.
"Is he also an immigrant, a refugee?" asked Shloimale. "Did
he come here to Homel because of the war?"
"Yes, of course," his mother replied.
"Will he sleep here, too?"
Mother looked at Shloimale, and said kindly, "We are going to
let him sleep here, and we will do it gladly, won't we?!" She
looked at her son and pointed to the benches by the wall, "We
are glad to help the needy, though we ourselves go to sleep
here in the kitchen on those hard benches. We are fortunate
to be able to do so, aren't we?"
Shloimale nodded his head. He agreed to lend his comfortable
bed for a poor refugee, but his curiosity was still aroused.
"Who is this guest?" He asked.
"He is called Rabbi Yosef Yozel Horowitz, the Rosh Yeshiva of
the famous Novardok Yeshiva. He learned in Kelm, and later
opened the yeshiva in the town of Novardok. Now, because of
the war, he, too, has had to wander. He reached Homel, and
hopes to bring his yeshivah here, too."
Young Shloimale heard his mother but he was still not sure he
understood everything. The mother did not have time to
explain. She urged him to hurry and help her. "Please lay out
some dishes and cutlery for our guests, then carry this bowl
of soup into the room! I am sure that you are willing to help
me and have a part of this mitzvah," she said
encouragingly.
Soon everything was done, and the mother and son returned to
the kitchen, but little Shloimale continued to ask, "Mother,
if the yeshiva is coming here, where are the talmidim
going to stay?"
"I wish they would come here soon safely! We will be glad to
help them, won't we? Hashem in Heaven gave us this
opportunity to help people in need. This mitzvah of
hosting the homeless and providing them with shelter, is a
great one, and its reward is likewise great, both in this
world and in olom habo!"
Little Shloimale was quick to comment, "True! But we learned
that Torah study is the biggest mitzvah of all! I hope
Father won't miss out on his learning!"
Rebbetzin Katz smiled. She always talked to her children
about keeping a very exact schedule for learning; punctuality
was one of the important rules of the Kelm Yeshiva. "Don't
worry Shloimale! Father won't let himself be detained. Both
he and the guest will go together to the beis medrash.
Don't forget, both of them learned in Kelm, and both are
eager to be there on time . . . "
A few days later, Shloimale ran into the kitchen, and
breathlessly told his mother, "I saw the boys, the
talmidim of Yeshivas Novardok. They came by train, and
they are heading here!"
"How wonderful! Let's prepare some food for those hungry
boys! Go and fetch some loaves of bread, while I cook up a
hot soup for them!"
"But Mother, where will they sleep?" It seemed to Shloimale
an impossible challenge to place the many students in their
small apartment.
"Don't worry! I have it already planned out. We will divide
them in groups. In the daytime, we will serve each group the
meals in groups in our dining room. At night, we will turn
the dining room into sleeping quarters; some of them will
have to sleep in the vestibule of the entrance of our
home."
Shloimale was still worried about the details. "We need so
many dishes and benches and pillows and quilts, and oh, so
much more!" The boy knew that his parents would gladly give
the guests whatever they had, but would it be enough for so
many?
Rebbetzin Katz was glad to note her son's concern. She
understood how eager he was to do everything correctly, and
make the tired boys as comfortable as possible. "Don't worry,
Shloimale, I've already arranged for enough benches and
bedding, and all the rest to accommodate them all. I hope
they will be quite comfortable here."
For a while, they were all well provided for, but more and
more students began coming to Homel until the Rosh Yeshiva of
Novardok, R' Yosef Yozel Horovitz, took over a local beis
medrash and the entire yeshiva was placed there. The
Novardok Yeshiva eventually moved to Kiev, where they spread
the light of Torah to the surrounding area.
In Homel, the Katz family continued to host refugees. Rabbi
Yaakov Katz, Shloimale's father, came to Homel at the start
of W.W.I. He turned to his friend, Rabbi Reuven Dessler, a
resident of Homel, and they both established a yeshiva in
Homel for these refugees, the yeshiva students from the
yeshivos of Lithuania and Poland, who were forced to flee
from the advancing frontlines of the war.
The home of Rabbi Yaakov Katz became a haven for the many
refugees, who were graciously welcomed to stay for as long as
they needed, be it of short or long duration. They practiced
Hachnossas Orchim in the finest tradition.
Among those refuges were such famous figures as the Chofetz
Chaim, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky, and many others.
