The Gemara (Pesachim 53b) recounts how Nevuchadnezzar, king of Bavel (Babylon), issued a decree whereby everyone must bow down to a statue in his image, and the punishment for not doing so was to be thrown alive into a raging fire. Chananya, Mishael, and Azariah learned from the example of the frogs who died in the ovens of Egypt during the plague, that they too should be prepared to be thrown into a fire. They reasoned that tzefarde’a (frogs), who are not commanded in the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem, were willing to go into a burning oven for the sake of sanctifying Hashem’s name. All the more so they, as human beings who are commanded in the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem, should be willing to be thrown into the fire.
One Friday night, surrounded by his Chassidim and admirers, the holy Shpolya Zaida, R’ Aryeh Leib of Shpoli zt”l, was conducting a tish. The Chassidim were singing various nigunim, but suddenly, as they sang the words “Yism’chu b’malchus’cha” with great dveikus, the Shpolya Zaida raised his hands and stopped them. With eyes closed, he began to speak: “I wish to tell you a story about this song, a story that I personally witnessed with my own eyes.”
The Rebbe related how many years ago, he was a melamed in a small town called Zlotopolice. There were two Jewish boys who turned away from Yiddishkeit. They befriended the local Polish youth and were known as wild rabble-rousers. No one could talk to them, least of all their parents, who lost all control over their sons, and they drifted further and further away from the nation of their birth.
One day, the forest all around Zlotopolice was surrounded by police. A search was underway. It seems a high-ranking individual’s carriage was attacked, and the people inside were robbed and killed. Constables were searching for the criminals, and in a short time, they located the gang that had perpetrated the crime. A group of young Polish vandals—who were led by none other than the two Jewish boys who had lost their way! This caused a ripple of fear and excitement to all—fear of retribution to the Jewish community of Zlotopolice, and excitement to the local Poles who had never before heard of Jewish gangsters killing and robbing. A swift verdict was handed down from the local magistrate: The members of the gang are to be hanged in the center square, while the two Jewish ringleaders are to be burned at the stake!
The Shpolya Zaida’s face grimaced in pain as he recalled the terrible scene. “I, too, was made to stand with everyone else in town in the square and watch as the punishments were carried out.” The Polish gang members were dispatched with the kick of a chair, and their hanging bodies twisted in the wind for an interminable period of time. Now it was time for the “grand spectacle”—the burning of the two Jewish boys. The local priest spoke to the judge and was granted permission to address the boys. “Two Jewish boys,” he said as he stood before them, “how sad. You must know that death by burning is the worst way to go. The pain is unbearable. But I can change that. If you agree to embrace the true religion of Christianity, the judge has agreed to commute your sentence to death by hanging. You will not burn—you just need to convert.”
The two Jewish boys looked at each other for a split second, and they both yelled, “No! We are Jews. We will remain Jews!” A murmur arose throughout the square, as the townspeople—both Jewish and gentile—were surprised at the firm determination of the boys. But the priest was not finished. He again consulted with the judge and then approached the boys.
“Look, there really is no reason for two young men like yourselves to die today. I’ll tell you what. If you will agree to take a cross in your hands and kiss it, I will commute your punishment entirely. You can go free. We will see about the process of your conversion later, but for right now, all you need to do is kiss the cross! What do you say?”
This time, the boys nodded. The priest smiled and placed a wooden cross in each boy’s hand. Suddenly, and without warning, the boys smashed the crosses and threw them to the ground! “We are Jews,” they shouted. “We are Jews!”
This time, the boys’ hands were shackled and dipped into a vat of boiling tar. As the smell of burning flesh spread, the two boys began singing “Yism’chu b’malchus’cha”—we rejoice in Your Heavenly kingdom—and even clapped their mangled hands.
“This is the song that those kedoshim sang,” said the Shpolya Zaida, and the Chasidim picked up the tune on cue.
Rabbi Dovid Hoffman is the author of the popular “Torah Tavlin” book series, filled with stories, wit and hundreds of divrei Torah, including the brand new “Torah Tavlin Yamim Noraim” in stores everywhere. You’ll love this popular series. Also look for his book, “Heroes of Spirit,” containing one hundred fascinating stories on the Holocaust. They are fantastic gifts, available in all Judaica bookstores and online at http://israelbookshoppublications.com. To receive Rabbi Hoffman’s weekly “Torah Tavlin” sheet on the parsha, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.