We are getting ready for the high holidays, and coming to realize how important Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha/Love your friend like you love yourself is to our high holiday preparations.
A dear friend of mine, whom I respect very much, told me that he enjoys stories. So, in keeping with our theme of Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha, I will to make him happy, by telling two more stories.
During World War 2, the great Rav Yitzhak Soloveitchik, also known as the Brisker Rav, had to flee from Brisk to Vilna, and in the process he and his wife became separated.
While in Vilna, the Gadol HaDor, the great Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky passed away. The Rav, and everyone in the household, wanted to go to the funeral of the Gadol Hador, but one of his younger daughters was sick, and couldn’t be left alone. No one wanted to stay behind and miss the funeral, so he told him the following story, which had happened to his grandfather, the Bet HaLevi:
He was on his way to the synagogue on Erev Yom Kippur and overheard an argument going on in a house on the way. He went to see what was going on, and discovered that one of the children was sick. Someone had to be there with the child, but there was an argument about who would miss going to shul on the night of Yom Kippur. No one wanted to miss Kal Nidre.
The Bet HaLevi told them, “You should know that the one who stays behind with a sick person will be blessed with a better year than the person that goes to shul to create a good year for himself.”
That is a very powerful story.
The second story is about
Rav Meir Simcha HaKohen, known as the Meshech Hochma, the Or Someach, the great rabbi of Dvinsk. At the end of his life, he was sick and on his deathbed. A certain great Rabbi wanted to send telegrams to shuls all over the Jewish world, asking them to say Tehillim for the great Rav, but he refused.
He said that by singling him out and making him a special person, there might be more demands placed on him. He would rather remain part of the Jewish people, with a low profile, as it says in the Zohar about the Isha Shunamit, who was asked by Elisha on Rosh Hashanah whether he could do anything for her, or if he could speak to the King (Hashem) on her behalf. She answered, “בתוך עמי אנכי יושבת
I dwell amongst my people”
That is the safest place to be.
But you can only get there with Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha.
Our mindset should be:
I don’t want to stand out, I don’t want to be high profile, I just want to be a simple Jew, a part of the Jewish people.
I care about them, and I care about their success. Have a wonderful day.