Residents of the city of Beitar Illit have become accustomed to the fact that every week, the gates of the city are closed before Shabbos to prevent Chillul Shabbos.

But most residents weren’t aware of the story of emunah and mesiras nefesh behind the closing of gates, a story that ended this week with tears of joy.

The story began about a year and two months ago, when an emergency kenes of the city’s Rabbanim was held, led by the Rav of Beitar, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Weiss. At that gathering, it was decided to launch a special initiative to ensure the gates of the city were closed 20 minutes before Shekiah to avoid the issue of residents arriving at the city at the very last minute before Shabbos and then speeding through the streets of the city to their destinations.

After the kenes, a Boyaner chassid who had been married for ten years without children approached Rav Weiss, who told him that if he takes a shift to ensure the gates of the city are closed before Shabbos, he’ll be zocheh to a yeshuah.

From that point onward, the avreich became Beitar’s “gatekeeper.” Every week, he stood at the gate, amid heavy traffic and stressed drivers who arrived late, and repeatedly reminded the guards to close the gates before Shabbos. More than once, he endured shouts from people who arrived after the Zeman Hadlakas Neiros and were forced to park outside the city and walk long distances home. Despite the hardships and the humiliations he sometimes suffered, he didn’t abandon his post for even a single Shabbos.

This week, on Tu B’Shvat, the joyful news finally arrived. Eleven years after his wedding, the avreich was blessed with a baby boy.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)