By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives
Yisroel Hopstein was born to Pearl and Shabbetai in Opatów, Poland. He was a beloved child to his parents, who were already elderly. His father, a poor bookbinder, devoted his efforts to instilling love for Yiddishkeit in his son.
As Yisroel grew, he further committed himself to Torah study. When night fell and everyone would leave the study hall, as long as the candles were still burning, young Yisroel would remain to study Torah. However, when Chanukah arrived, his father did not want him to go to the study hall, less he be enticed to join less scrupulous individuals, who had the custom to play cards on Chanukah.
Yisroel considered learning at home, but there were few candles or books of Torah. The child promised his father that if he allowed him to go to the study hall, he would use just a small candle, and study until it was finished. “This way you will know that I did not have time to play cards,” he said.
His father agreed, and the young child went to study. However, the candle that should have burned just a short time lasted all night. Yisroel’s father, concerned by the late hour, was certain his son was out playing cards.
In the morning, when Yisroel returned home, he fell fast asleep. His father woke him, and gave him a serious spanking.
Decades later, the famed Rabbi Yisroel Hopstein, known as the Maggid of Kozhnitz, reflected on this experience, saying that had he simply told his father that he was studying all night, his father would have believed him. However, he believed it to be sinful to bring honor to oneself because of his Torah study. If he would have not been hit by revealing that he was indeed studying, he would inadvertently derive pleasure from his study. “Therefore I kept quiet, and suffered with the lack of honor.”
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