Maasei Emunim
A Story About Amen and Tefillah
This story, about a small apartment, a neighbor who objected to an extension and Birchos Hashachar said together that managed to open his heart, was shared by the person it happened to, Reb Shmuel.
Since his marriage, Reb Shmuel had lived in the same apartment. It was a small, three-room unit in one of the central neighborhoods of Bnei Brak. Over the years the family grew, and was blessed with six children. With every new baby that came into the world – along with his plaintive cries and tremendous light - the crowding grew. The apartment was too small to give the children the space they needed to grow in a healthy and happy environment.
The place was too small to contain them and their belongings...There was no room for another bed, and the constant mess negatively affected their peace of mind.
There were tempting offers for new apartments, more spacious ones, that he heard all the time. But they all demanded a big sacrifice: Leaving their familiar surroundings, the kollel and schools where the children learned, and moving out of the neighborhood that they loved.
Reb Shmuel struggled to imagine life in a different place. His kollel was a second home to him, his children were thriving in their schools, and the neighborhood itself was a Gan Eden of Torah, as they lived alongside many talmidei chachamim who had also made it their home.
The only practical solution was expanding their existing apartment. Many residents in the buildings nearby had already done so. The building where Reb Shmuel lived was one of the few who had not yet extended, and many of the neighbors discussed among themselves their intentions to expand in the near future. It was a natural step, as families grew.
Thus began a long and tiring bureaucratic process, which lasted three years. Ultimately, Reb Shmuel managed to get all the permits he needed. But now, he faced another hurdle, perhaps the most complex of them all – obtaining permission to build from the neighbors.
The neighbors all knew Reb Shmuel and his sweet children, and they were very happy to make it possible for him to extend his apartment. All of them except one: The elderly neighbor who lived one floor above him. The neighbor who had recently finished marrying off all his children did not need to extend his house, and all he wanted was some quiet and peace of mind. The thought of the dust, dirt, and especially the noise of workers and machines – deterred him, as he was reluctant to have his tranquility disrupted so extensively. In addition, he murmured something about his apartment becoming dimmer because the renovation would block some of the daylight.
All Reb Shmuel’s efforts – along with those by the other neighbors who galvanized to help him – to soften the neighbor’s heart were not successful. He stood firm in his refusal: “If you want a bigger apartment – move to one.”
Reb Shmuel was peaceful by nature. He did not want to harm a Jew or to mar the atmosphere of unity in the building. As such, he chose a different channel – tefillah. Each day, he pleaded to his Creator to open his neighbor’s heart, so that he would let him extend his apartment.
And then corona broke out. The shuls closed down, but tefillah was not neglected even during those turbulent times. The courtyard of the building because a “Chatzros Beis Hashem,” and the residents gathered three times a day to daven.
With time, the courtyard was adapted for this need. It was cleaned, the floor was smoothed out, chairs and shtenders were placed there, and the kol tefillah resonated among the buildings that surrounded it. Reb Shmuel, who had the practice of saying Birchos Hashachar bechavrusa, looked for a new partner during this challenging time. Somewhat hesitantly, he asked his elderly neighbor to be his chavrusa for brachos, and the man willingly agreed.
Each morning, the two went down to the courtyard. Standing near the wild grass and the stone wall, they would make brachos together. A quiet breeze wafted between them and carried the brachos and the amens all the way to the Kisei Hakavod. Moreover, a wind of friendship also began to blow, bringing them closer together.
After a while, the elderly neighbor’s doctor instructed him to remain at home, but he asked Reb Shmuel to please continue coming to the door of his home to preserve their minhag of reciting Birchos Hashachar bechavrusa.
Reb Shmuel was careful to recite the brachos with him, to ask how he was doing and to offer any help. His children helped with shopping and various errands. A close bond was forged between the elderly neighbor and the large family, and the children began to view him as a friendly grandfather figure.
One day, about half a year later, there was a knock at Reb Shmuel’s door. It was their neighbor, holding at hick envelope.
“We’ve been saying Birchos Hashachar for quite some time now,” the neighbor began warmly. “Our chavrusashaft has helped me get to know you much better. I see how special you and your family are. I really admire you, the way you are raising your children to ahavas Torah and yiras Shamayim, with patience, and with the personal attention you give each child. The more I got to know you the more impressed I have been.
“Recently, when I answer amen to the brachah of She’asah Li Kol Tzorki that you say, I feel uncomfortable. I know how difficult it is for you in your small, crowded apartment. After a lot of deliberation, I decided to remove my objection to the construction, and I even want to contribute towards the expense of it to make it easier for you...”
Reb Shmuel took the envelope, stunned and a bit uneasy. He opened it to find a very generous sum of a few thousand shekels. Before he could even thank his neighbor, the other man had gone up the stairs and disappeared back into his own house...
Reb Shmuel realized the unbelievable Hashgachah pratis: From a vehement objector the neighbor became a supporter and even direct partner in the construction. His tefillah had come true – he could start building, and while doing so, he also merited another good neighbor in addition to the ones he’d had before!
After several long months of construction, with everything that involves, when he and his family were finally enjoying a spacious, newly renovated apartment that met their needs, all they could do was thank Hashem, and publicize the abundance that they had been blessed with in the merit of answering Birchos Hashachar bechavrusa.
Birchos hashachar k'halachah: Aloud, with kavanah, bechavrusa
