From Elul To Chaim

Based on a story that the Rebbe Shlita was personally involved with and which he related at the tisch this past Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Re-eh:

A 67 year old man became very ill and the doctors gave a grave forcast for his very limited future. The man's wife who was a died in the wool Gerrer "Chassida" sent a kvittel [note] to the Heilige Pnei Menachem, the previous Gerrer Rebbe with the hope that her husband's life would be spared. The Rebbe said "Hmmmm, 67, that is the gematria of Elul. What does this man do during Elul?' He was told that he closes his business and spends his Eluls learning Torah. The Rebbe ztz"l was very impressed and said that it should be a zchus enough to raise him to 68, the gematria of חיים. The women heard this and was not satisfied. She sent another kvittel to the Rebbe asking that her husband make it past 68. The Rebbe said that she shouldn't worry, because once he gets into חיים he will live and live well past 68.

This man is still going.... Until 120:-). [I don't know when this story transpired but the Pnei Menachem passed away 17 years ago].

זכות הצדיקים יעזור ויגן ויושיע!!!

PS The Rebbe Shlita was the right hand man of the Pnei Menachem for many years and a Rosh Yeshiva in the Gerrer Yeshiva and has many such stories which he was a personal eyewitness. I have a few stories of my own about the Rebbe Shlita but because they are of a personal nature, can't blog 'em......:-)