Eternal Connections

Grab and Eat, Grab and Drink  The famed maggid, Rav Yaakov Galinsky, would relate that as a young child he was quite rambunctious. His father decided to send him away to the Novardok yeshivah in Bialystok, which was well-known for its emphasis on character improvement.  

One day, the secretary in the office of P’eylim/Lev L’Achim fielded an unusual call. The man on the line was asking that his monthly donation of ten shekels be increased to fourteen. Rabbi Uri Zohar, who was in the office at the time, was intrigued. Four shekels is equivalent to a little over $1. Rabbi Zohar called the man back, thanked him for his monthly donation, and then gently asked him to explain the reason for increasing his donation.

What was Holding Him Back? As the men hurried home to make havdalah, a powerful blast rocked the Bais Yisrael neighborhood in Yerushalayim. It was Motzei Shabbos Parshas Ki Sisa, 2002, and a devastating terrorist attack had occurred, leaving many innocent victims dead in its wake. One of them was Shauli Nechmad, H”yd, a fifteen-year-old bachur from Bnei Brak, who had been in Yerushalayim for a family bar mitzvah.

A Journey Worth Taking Each time a new baby was born into the Bloch family, Rav Yosef Leib Bloch, Rav and Rosh Yeshivah of Telshe in Europe, would bring his other children into the room where his wife was recuperating. He would lift the newborn into his arms and speak straight to the child, “Yingele, yingele” or, “Maidele, maidele, your neshamah just traveled all the way from the Kisei Hakavod. You should know that your purpose in this world is to be mekadeish shem Shamayim. If you live by this principle, your trip to this world will have been worthwhile. If not, your trip will have been in vain.”

Heading in the Right Direction Rav Elchonon Wasserman once met a friend from his youth, who had since gone on to law school and a successful career practicing law. The friend looked at Rav Elchonon dressed in his rabbinical garb and commented, “You should have come with me to law school. With your brilliant mind, you could have become more accomplished and successful than I am today.”

Why They Cried A man once traveled to a distant land, where he worked very hard until he earned enough to support his family for several years. Before returning home, he visited a local shop to buy a gift for his wife. Noticing a display of pretty knives, he purchased one for a small sum. Then he began the long journey home...