Yated Ne’eman
Acclaimed author and speaker Rabbi Nachman Seltzer made his debut in Lakewood last week on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz with a powerful message about how each of us can make a lasting impact by reaching out to those in need. His words mirrored the message of the event sponsors, Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah and Better Than a Segulah. For over a decade, Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah and Better Than a Segulah have made it their mission to provide others with the zechus of Torah learning. At the same time, they provide invaluable monetary support to many serious yungeleit and their families.
Rabbi Seltzer is well-known for his exceptional, captivating stories, and indeed, he masterfully illustrated how we can make a real difference to others – those in this world and in the world to come. The audience was riveted as he related the true account of a father who would frequently encourage his children to perform mitzvos l’iluy nishmas various gedolim on the day of their yahrtzeits. Years later, this man passed away, and his daughter, Leah C.*, took this lesson to heart. She began consciously dedicating acts to benefit her father’s neshamah. These were activities as routine as preparing her children’s lunches for yeshivah, mopping the floor for Shabbos and reciting a perek of Tehillim. One morning, Leah received a phone call from her sister, who was simply beside herself. The previous evening, the sister related, she had dreamed of her father, who admonished her for not coming to shul for yizkor.
“You don’t understand what your yizkor does for us in Shamayim,” he said. And then he added, “Your sister has been sending me gifts!” The gifts, of course, were Leah’s acts l’iluy nishmas her father.
In his inimitable, entertaining manner, Rabbi Seltzer also emphasized the unique quality of Tehillim, and how we relate to Dovid Hamelech more than to any of the other Avos because Dovid himself experienced so many trials – and yet he did not allow them to pull him down; he did not give up on himself or his relationship with Hashem. We can each grab a moment to say the invaluable words written by Dovid Hamelech; we can never know how much our Tehillim will impact others – and ourselves. He told the amazing story of a woman who recited Tehillim whenever she was stuck in traffic – and how her words saved the life of a traffic-accident victim who nearly died.
And finally, Rabbi Seltzer pointed out that making a difference is especially important when we reach out to those who crave acceptance, who might feel lonely or sidelined. With small gestures, thoughtful acts, kind words, we can help them feel loved and accepted. Rabbi Seltzer shared his feelings of angst following the terrible, tragic death of Leiby Kletzky. Weeks later, it dawned on him that the man who murdered this precious boy had once been his classmate – a boy who was hardly recognized, a boy always on the fringe of the class. When the police apprehended this man, they asked him, “Why did you do this?”
He responded, “Now everyone knows my name!” The words are chilling – but they leave us with a clear directive. If we can reach out to someone who could use a boost, surely it will be an aliyah for the neshamah of pure Leiby.
Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah and Better Than a Segulah are all about helping neshamos, reaching out to those in need in this world and the next. Rabbi Seltzer charged all those in attendance on Wednesday night with a message that was particularly appropriate for Rosh Chodesh Tammuz: focus on what you can do to change someone else’s life for the better.
For more information about this lecture and other Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah/Better Than a Segulah programs, call (732) 364-7029 or visit www.ChevrahLomdeiMishnah.org or www.BetterThanASegulah.org.
– June 2018
