Sometimes the greatest kindness we can do for another Jew is not only to care for them physically, but to open a siddur, daven for them, and sincerely plead on their behalf. Often, the very brachos we ask Hashem to bestow upon someone else find their way back to us as well.
Mrs. Levenberg was informed that four young men associated with Yad Yisroel were in desperate need of lodging. These boys had grown up in Russia with little, if any, connection to Yiddishkeit. Yad Yisroel had discovered these precious lost neshamos, brought them close to Torah and mitzvos, ignited within them a love for Yiddishkeit, and reconnected them with their heritage.
As they matured, each decided it was time to enter the workforce. They left the supportive environment of Yad Yisroel and began the difficult transition to independent life, needing to earn a parnassah while also finding a place to live. Their plan was to rent a house together, split the expenses, and each work in the profession that suited him best.
While searching for housing, they turned to Mrs. Levenberg. Knowing that she had an unused attic, they hoped she might be willing to host them temporarily. They had spent many Shabbosim, seudos, and nights in the Levenberg home over the years, and she gladly welcomed them in.
Temporary, however, became much longer than anyone had anticipated. Finding a suitable house proved far more difficult than expected, and the boys remained in Mrs. Levenberg’s attic.
At first, she cared for them with boundless enthusiasm. She prepared food, did laundry, and tended to whatever they needed. But as the months passed, the arrangement naturally became more challenging having to share her home with four unwed young men. For example, if her husband was away, she would step out of her home for some time to avoid yichud while the boys were there.
Yet, she kept reminding herself, “I don’t regret this mitzvah. I’m happy to do it, and I want to continue. But I hope they can soon move on and build families of their own.”
For a long time, Mrs. Levenberg had even tried arranging shidduchim for the boys, but nothing seemed to get off the ground. Then one day, a different thought occurred to her. These four young men had no one to cry for them. No Jewish mother was pouring out her heart on their behalf. She decided that if no one else was davening for them, she would.
From that day forward, she made each of them part of her daily tefillos. She begged Hashem that they should each find their bashert, build faithful Jewish homes, and finally have homes of their own.
Within three months — twelve and a half weeks! — every one of the four boys became engaged.
Who can measure the power of a heartfelt tefillah offered on behalf of another person? We may never know what such prayers accomplish in Shamayim.
But the story doesn’t end there.
At the wedding of one of these young men, the shadchan approached Rabbi Levenberg and asked if he would pay the shadchanus fee. Technically, he had no obligation; the young man was not his son, nor was he his legal guardian. Nevertheless, Rabbi Levenberg called his Rav to ask what he should do.
His Rav answered simply, “Pay the shadchanus. Let it be a zechus for your son.” Rabbi Levenberg did exactly that.
Some time later, that couple asked if they could spend Pesach with the Levenbergs. Mrs. Levenberg happily agreed. Throughout Yom Tov, the young kallah repeatedly told Mrs. Levenberg that she knew the perfect girl for her son. But since the kallah came from a very different background, Mrs. Levenberg politely dismissed the suggestion each time.
Still, after hearing it again and again, she finally agreed to take down the name and phone number.
Not long afterward, the suggestion developed into a shidduch, which led to an engagement. The very couple for whom Mrs. Levenberg had davened so fervently became the catalyst for her own son finding his bashert. Baruch Hashem, he, too, would soon be building his own home.
From the very shidduch they helped complete through paying the shadchanus later came the suggestion that led their own son to his bashert.
When we care for others, daven for them, and help them build their future, we are never merely changing their lives. In ways we cannot begin to imagine, Hashem often uses those very acts of kindness to bring His blessings back into our own.
