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22
Life:Lwów-Berlin-Kraków
hisfatherorotherfamilymembersbuttoUri-WolfSalat:“mymasterand
venerableteacherwhowentaheadofmelikeapillaroffiretolightenmy
way.”32Thon’sdaughterreminiscedthatSalattookcareofThonnotonly
spirituallyandintellectually,butalsolookedoutforhishealth.Becauseof
thepoorconditionsathome,theyoungThon’shealthwasveryfragile.She
rememberedherfathertalkingabouthischildhoodwithwordssuchascold,
hunger,andpoverty.Hewasveryweakandillbecauseofphysicalworkand
studiessoRabiSalatsenthimfortwomonthstothecountryside,therehe
gainedapositiveenergyandstrengthforhislife.Inthecountrysidehewas
thinking,dreaming,writing,andforthefirsttimeinhislifehewascloseto
nature.NellaThonconcluded,thatUri-WolfSalatwashisguardianangel.33
Thus,without,asThonadmitted“anyhelpofhisparentsandteachers”
hewasstudyinginthehouseofUri-WolfSalat,whohadagreatTalmudic
library.There,untiltheageofseventeen,hestudiedtheTorahandTalmud
duringthedaysandinthenightsintheBeitMidrash(thehouseofTorah
study).ThondescribedtheunconventionalwayofteachingofUri-WolfSalat,
amethodthathelpedThontobecomeanindependentthinkerandaTalmudic
scholar.34Uri-WolfSalatwastheonetogiveThonthefirstordinationas
aRabbiwhenhewassixteen,ithadaprivatecharacter,butThonalways
appreciateditmorethanhisformalordinationinBerlin.35Salatwasoneof
themostfamousJewishscholarsinLwówandthefactthatheinvestedso
muchtimeandcareforyoungThonshowshowpromisingwasthebrilliant
youngpupil.36Thon’sencounterwithSalatwasdecisiveinhislife,and
contributedalottohisfuture.Salatinvestedmuchtimeintheeducation
oftheyoungboyandindoingsoencouragedThonwhothenwasnotyet
confidentinhisskills.37
Mordechai-MarcusBraudedescribedthetenyearoldThonasan
extraordinarypupil.WhenBraudewasalsotenyearsold,hisfather,Rabbi
AryehLeibBraude,broughthimanewfriend-YehoshuaThon.RabbiAryeh
LeibmettheyoungandwittyboyintheYeshivaofPinhasKalish,arich
manwhohadnochildrenofhisownandopenedthisYeshivafortalented
childrenfrompoorfamilies.Braude’sfather,whotookonhimselftobethe
32Ibid,350.
33Thon-Rostowa,Wspomnieniacórki,9-12.
34Thon,“Demuyotmi-Lvov,”352-353.
35Thon-Rost-Hollander,Preacher,Thinker,Politician,12;Frankel,OzjaszThon,6.
36Gelber,“Dr.YehoshuaThon,”355.
37Thon-Rostowa,Wspomnieniacórki,9-13.