In Radin, Poland, lived a pious and kind Jew named Gedalya (Kaplan), the water carrier. Radin was home to the Chofetz Chaim and his renowned yeshiva, which was then instituting the “teg” system—assigning students to eat in different homes on specific days.
When Gedalya heard about it, he respectfully approached the Chofetz Chaim and protested: “It’s bittul Torah. I’ll volunteer to collect the meals so the students can stay in yeshiva and continue learning.”
Moved by Gedalya’s love of Torah, the Chofetz Chaim accepted his offer. Day after day, for years, Gedalya made the rounds in the community, picking up meals to save the students valuable time for learning. When he became seriously ill and passed away young, the Chofetz Chaim personally cared for his widow and two daughters, grateful for all Gedalya had done.
Rabbi Moshe Schneider
Years later, in 1911, that love of Torah bore fruit. The Chofetz Chaim suggested a shidduch between Gedalya’s daughter and a young talmid chochom, R’ Moshe Schneider. R’ Schneider went on to become one of the great Gedolei Torah of the generation, founding a yeshivah in Germany and later in London, famously known as “Schneider’s Yeshivah,” where many future Gedolim learned as talmidim. His wife stood faithfully by his side, having inherited her father’s deep love of Torah.
(Reprinted from the Parshas Bamidbar – Shavuos 5785 email of The Weekly Vort. Excerpted from the ArtScrollbook – “Reflections of the Maggid”)
