[Page 191]

During my young years in Slonim, I liked to stroll alone at night. My usual march route was to go to the train that came late at night and back. The stroll was an interesting and pleasant one for me; the air was fresh, an absolute, calm silence reigned; only individual windows were lit and one hardly met a tardy passerby; one also heard a dog barking here and there; at the dam, there was the strong croaking of frogs and the easy splash of the swishing water. Strolling was like balm for my young soul.

Last night, I again somewhat experienced such a thing. This was a dream.

I had a vision that I was coming back from the train station and a kind of dead silence reigned around me. No lights were seen in the windows; no squeak was heard from a door, no barking from a dog; no tardy passerby was met; even the dam remained unmoving and it was as if the frogs had disappeared; there was no rustle, no sign of life; the houses looked like dead silhouettes, the windows empty holes without windowpanes, without shutters. I became agitated and I was conquered by fear. I walked further and I already was at the circle of shops, the richer and the poorer side; open doors; empty interiors, no shopkeepers, no merchandise, no customers. I approached the market, my father-in-law Reb Yerukham Levinstein's house, Leah Rache's bakery shop. Where are the dairymaids, the market women with their fish tubs and fruit baskets? And here was the large synagogue, the brick house of prayer; everything was deadly quiet, unmoving and empty. The echo of my steps frightened me; I arrived at the house of my parents: the doors, the windows were open; there was no furniture, no linens, no household items, a deserted house! I stood confused and frightened. In my despair, I thought: go to the Rucznaier cemetery. I quickly left my parents' home and went hastily [to the cemetery]. I was near the graveyard. I passed Yoel the Hasid's hill and went closer to the gate of the cemetery. I knew this place very well. On Tisha B'av [ninth of Av, commemorating the destruction of the 1st and 2^nd Temples in Jerusalem], I would go with my father, may he rest in peace, to the graves of my grandfathers and grandmothers, may they rest in peace, and stop near the stone building of the rabbis and righteous men and read their weathered headstones. I passed the taare-shtibl [purification room] and turned to my grandfather's grave. Suddenly, I saw Leibl Luski standing opposite me! And I called out: “Leibl, what are you doing here? And where are all of our Slonim Jews?” Leibl answered me with a sad voice: “Come with me, I will show you our landsleit [people from the same town].” And as he said this, we both hovered in the air and he brought me to the Shepelover forest. We stood on a small hill. Opposite us – a flat valley, grown over with sparse grass and full of human bones, skulls from heads, strewn over the entire valley. And Leibl said to me: “Do you remember Yehezkiel's [Ezekiel's] prophecy about the bones? I will read this for you now.” And with his high baritone voice, he began reciting:

“The hand of God was on me and placed me in the middle of a valley and it was full of human bones. There were very many and they were very dry, and God said to me: “Son of man, can these bones be brought back to life?” I said: O God, You know! He said to me: “Prophesize to these bones and say to them: You dry bones, hear the word of God! Thus, God spoke to these bones: Behold! I will place veins on you and clothe you in flesh and will cover you in skin and breathe breath into you and you will come to life and you will know that I am God.” And I prophesized as I had been ordered to do. And there was a murmur and a tumult and the bones moved toward each other and I saw that veins had been given to them and flesh grew and they were clothed in skin, but there was no breath

in them. God said to me again: Child of man, prophesize to the breath; thus, said the Lord God: “From the four winds come, O breath! And breathe into these murdered people so that they will come to life.” And I prophesized as I had been ordered to do. And the breath entered them and they came to life and they stood on their feet, a very large multitude, and God said to me again: Child of man, these dry bones, they are the entire house of Israel. They say: Our bones are dry; our hope is lost; we are annihilated. For that reason, prophesize: thus said the Lord God: “I will take you from your graves and bring you to the Land of Israel and I will let you rest in your land and I will show that I, God, have said and done.”

There is a deadly silence all around. The branches do not shake. In the dark grey glow of dawn stand the trees as if frozen. Everything has died. And Leibl continued: “Tomorrow is the memorial gathering for our surviving landsleit; go and tell them what you have seen and tell them that I, Leibl Luski, ask all of the Slonimer to come to the memorial service for the dead, where my spirit will also hover.”

And when Leibl finished speaking, I saw how he was slowing disappearing and the entire Slonimer community disappeared with him. I remained alone, alone at the Shepelover hill and the flat, wide valley was again filled with human bones.

I gave a start from fear, opened my eyes and I saw: I was lying in bed. It was a vision, a dream.

A beam of the early morning sun heralding the coming of a new day shone through the window. I decided; I must tell our landsleit at the memorial gathering of my strange dream.

And so I stand before you, dear landsleit, and give you Leibl's words.

Leibl! I have fulfilled your mission. And to this I will add: We will always remember you and hold your name dear.

May the clods of his dust be sweet and may he rest in peace!

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