After years of negotiations, a lucrative business deal was about to close. One of the major investors was Mr. Gershon Kamin, who stood to earn a fortune. During the closing, Gershon was disturbed by one of the attorneys’ vulgar language. He politely asked him to refrain from profanity, but the man could not. Finally, Gershon said, “One more and the deal is off!” It was not long before the lawyer did it again. Gershon left the room, scuttling the entire deal.
Larry Fisher was another frum Jew who was present. He was aware of the years of work that had gone into the deal. Where had Gershon derived the strength?
Years later, Larry heard a lecture that gave him the answer. The speaker told a story about a boy who had learned in Telz decades earlier. He demonstrated great promise, but his parents wanted him to obtain a secular degree. On his last day, he was summoned to the rosh yeshivah, Rav Chaim Mordechai Katz.
“Gershon,” Rav Katz said, “you are about to leave the yeshivah for the outside world, where every step will be a test. You must always have one concern above all else: remember that everything you do will be either a kiddush Hashem or a chillul Hashem. Choose accordingly!” The boy took the words to heart.
After the lecture, Larry asked, “Was the boy in your story Gershon Kamin?”
“How did you know that?” the rav exclaimed.
The rosh yeshivah’s words had infused Gershon with a sense of mission. He lived to serve Hashem and to sanctify His Name, with no other considerations.
Reproduced from Living Kiddush Hashem by Rabbi Shraga Freedman with permission of the copyright holders, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, Ltd.
