Rabbi Yechiel Spero relates the story of an eleven-year-old boy named Yitzchak, in Europe. He was an exceptional student, and he went out of his way to make his parents proud of him, which they certainly were.
In the beginning of the twentieth century, most Jews did not have large bank accounts, if they had any at all. Those who could provide three meals a day were considered very fortunate.
Clothing was different altogether. New garments were purchased only after the old garments could no longer be fixed anymore. Yom Tov was usually the time to purchase a new garment however it was not a simple process. Purchasing a dress, for instance, meant picking out the fabric, going to the seamstress a number of times for fittings, and then waiting until the garment was completed.
Yitzchak was very excited that his mother was finally getting a new dress. It was supposed to be ready sometime before Pesach, and the whole family was looking forward. Their mother was so devoted to them, and now, she was finally getting something for herself. Since this was such a major event, she would not wear the new dress until Pesach.
Meanwhile, Yitzchak was really starting to excel in his learning. He had recently been placed in an advanced Shiur and had completed Mesechta Bava Kamma, which was a very significant accomplishment for a young boy. Not wanting to bring attention to himself, he mentioned this to his mother only as an aside, and his mother was filled with pride.
This is what mattered most in her life. When she expressed her enthusiasm about his accomplishment, Yitzchak simply said that there was so much more to be learned, that he had barely begun to scratch the surface.
The next evening, when Yitzchak returned home from Yeshivah, he was very surprised when he entered his house. The table was set with their finest tablecloth, the dishes that were usually reserved for special occasions were out, candles were lit, and his mother was wearing her new dress!
The young boy was shocked. He asked, “Why is the table set like this and the candles lit? And, why are you wearing your new dress? I thought you were waiting for Pesach?”
His mother smiled and said, “Yes, I was saving the dress for Yom Tov, but yesterday you told me that you finished Mesechta Bava Kamma. What bigger Yom Tov is there than that? That is what I live for, and nothing is more important to me than my child’s Torah learning. If you are making a Siyum, then it is a Yom Tov!”
The young boy remembered these words his entire life, and he eventually grew up to become the distinguished Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Chaim Berlin -- Rav Yitzchak Hutner, zt”l!
RavYitzchak Hutner, zt”l
Reprinted from the Parshas Vayikra 5786 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
