I would like to share a beautiful thought on Ahavat Yisrael that connects with Emunah and Bitachon, another favorite topic of mine.
There is a book about the Tosher Rebbe, published by Artscroll. It discusses ( on page 154) how the Tosher Rebbe received people at night; and there were often very long lines of people waiting to see him. This meant the Rebbe would often forfeit his sleep in order to make sure that he got to see everybody. His Gabbaim would try to make these conversations shorter, but the Rebbe always answered, “My job is to bless them; But I can’t give them a beracha if I don’t know what they need. To give them the blessing that they need, it takes time, until they feel comfortable enough to share. Sometimes the person himself doesn’t know what he wants when he comes in, he needs time to figure it out.” And then he added the following, which is the point that I would like to share, “ If Hashem sent this person to me, at this moment, then it is certainly for my benefit as well. I might learn some thing. Every person who comes in has something to teach me. I don’t let them leave until I find the area in which I can learn from them.”
That is a beautiful way of looking at life’s interactions. I once heard that Hashem spends His day mezaveg zivugim/making matches.
But the obvious question is, does Hashem really need to spend all day making matches? He has nothing else to do? I once heard an explanation that mezaveg zivugim doesn’t just mean He’s making matches between husband and wife. It also means having people with meet up with one another. That is what the Tosher Rebbe’s message was. When we come into contact with someone, whomever it may be, it’s not just because that person might need a favor, but rather because we need to meet him as well.
A man once came to the Rebbi on Taanit Esther, which was one of his busiest days of the year. They told the man to come back after Purim, but the man said that this was the only time that worked for him. Eventually, he gained an audience with the Rebbe, and the Rebbi spent a long time with him. It was a very busy day, and the Gabbai complained that they did not know who this man was.. they had never seen him before. He wasn’t at all connected with them. So why was the Rebbe treating him as if he was a personal friend from the same hometown? It was unfair to the others. There were local steady Hasidim who were waiting their turn. The Rebbi responded with the following, “If Hashem brought this man into my presence , then He wants him here. It is truly, very personal and he really is a local.”
This is a great lens for looking at our interactions with other people. And this deep rooted Emuna is a good source for Ahavat Yisrael.
If the person is here, that means Hashem sent him here, and I have to give him his time.
Have a wonderful day.