R’ Yeshaya Schteiner, known as R’ Yeshaya’le of Keresteir, was sought after by many. He was known for having a heart of gold. Every person in need of financial support would get 200 rinos — a sizable donation. He would care for every person personally, serving them food until they were satiated.
R’ Avraham Ganichovsky relayed an inspiring story about him: Curious how he greets the visitors, his gabbai would peek through a little crack in the wall to see what they were requesting from the Rebbe and to perceive how the Rebbe gave them guidance.
On one such occasion, the Rebbe was approached by a fellow, who we’ll call Shimon, who encountered many life-challenging challenges: medical issues with no known cures, childlessness for many years...
Trying to solve his many problems, Shimon hit brick wall after brick wall. He had been unsuccessful in managing them all. He came to the sorrowful conclusion that committing suicide was the only way to “solve” all his problems. That would “free” him from having to face any more problems.
Before making his final decision, Shimon went and consulted R’ Yeshaya’le. After explaining his situation to R’ Yeshaya’le, Shimon anticipated that R’ Yeshaya’le would laugh at him and tell him how foolish his thoughts of suicide were. However, that was not what R’ Yeshaya’le did.
R’ Yeshaya’le said that he understood the magnitude of Shimon’s problems, and that he was with him in the solution. But, R’ Yeshaya’le explained, since this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it should be done right.
“We must plan this well,” R’ Yeshaya’le said, “and not ‘jump’ into it. The best place to do this would be jumping the bridge, as it’s a relatively easy way to end one’s life. There’s just one problem: the water in the river below is freezing cold. It’s the winter, you know. That’s not something I want for you—to suffer that freezing jump. We must find a better option for you.
“Second-best solution,” R’ Yeshaya’le continued, “would be to jump off a roof, but that’s also not a good solution. It wouldn’t befit such a respectable person like yourself to jump off the roof and get your bones shattered, your body in shambles. No...”
R’ Yeshaya’le continued in this vein, speaking out the many options of how he could commit suicide, but vetoed all them for similar reasons. Concluding the conversation, R’ Yeshaya’le declared that the matter must be given the proper thought, that he must rethink it with menuchas ha’nefesh, and that Shimon should come back in two weeks. “This is not a simple matter. By then, I’ll hopefully have a respectable plan on how to proceed.”
When Shimon departed, he reassessed his feelings. For the first time in his life, he felt cared for, as if someone was thinking and understanding him. He never returned to R’ Yeshaya’le, nor did he end his life before its time. Once he got the compassion from R’ Yeshaya’le and was shown that he was understood, he was able to continue on with life and dropped his planned disaster.
