Maintaining genuine feelings for others was of paramount importance to R’ Shmuel Barenbaum. To him, the imperative to feel another’s pain was twofold. First, it was essential for preserving and refining one’s own middos. But beyond that, there was a benefit for the person who was suffering as well. Not only does a person’s anguish lessen when he knows his pain is shared, but in R’ Shmuel’s view, the very act of empathy could serve as a vehicle for his yeshuah.
When R’ Shmuel’s beloved son, R’ Leibel, was unwell, R’ Shmuel remarked that simply feeling pain over another’s suffering could itself improve the chances of recovery. Hashem, he explained, doesn’t only weigh whether the suffering of the individual is justified, but also considers whether the agony felt by others because of that suffering is warranted. If enough people are distressed by one person’s illness, the total suffering may exceed what is deserved—and Hashem, in His mercy, would not allow that to continue.
In this way, feeling another’s pain becomes more than a noble trait—it becomes a source for a yeshuah. Strengthening oneself in the merit of the ill is powerful; truly sharing in his burden is even more so. But for R’ Shmuel, empathy was only the beginning. Whether or not he had the means, he would often extend tangible help—sometimes in astonishing proportions.
Long before he had access to large funds for tzedakah, he would borrow money to help Yidden in financial distress. The situation didn’t need to be tragic or dramatic. Even to help another marry off a child, he would quietly take out loans of thousands of dollars, which he would personally repay over time. A talmid who was in a shaky financial situation recalled R’ Shmuel discreetly handing him wads of cash— without saying a single word. (Rav Shmuel)
Reprinted from the Parshas Balak 5785 email of The Weekly Vort. Excerpted from the Feldheim book – “Rav Shmuel” by Rabbi Elchonon Jacobowitz.
