Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l
A shomer-Shabbos hotel in Netanya once had to deal with a difficult predicament with a couple who wished to make a reservation there. After giving their deposit, the couple contacted the hotel and wanted to pay upfront for their stay. The front desk responded that since payment was only due when departing, there was no reason to pay upfront.
Admitting Their Plans to Leave the Hotel on Shabbos
The couple then explained that since they’d be continuing their journey on Shabbos, when the front desk would be closed, they wanted to pay upfront to get the matter of payment squared away and dealt with.
Hearing this, the clerk then apologized and told them that their reservation would have to be cancelled, as the hotel’s policy was that they only rent their rooms to shomrei Shabbos. Having admitted to plan to drive away on Shabbos, they obviously didn’t fit the hotel’s policy and couldn’t stay in the hotel.
They pleaded with the secretary to reconsider, but she said she couldn’t do anything more than let them speak with the hotel manager, Mr. Schechter. Mr. Schechter heard their situation, but he repeated to them that the hotel’s policy was to only accept reservations from Shomrei Shabbos.
They told him that this hotel was the only one in the area that they needed to be in, and that they couldn’t go anywhere else. Mr. Schechter didn’t acquiesce but said that he’d consult his Rav and get back to them with the final answer.
Mr. Schechter then went and sought the guidance of R’ Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. When he got into the room, it took several minutes before he was recognized, but once R’ Elyashiv saw him, he presented to him the question.
“Why Should it Bother You if They Eat Kosher for a Few Days?”
R’ Elyashiv replied with his typical several-word response that contained great guidance: “Why should it bother you if they eat kosher for a few days?!”
With that Mr. Schechter left the room. In other words, R’ Elyashiv was saying that being in their hotel would be one of the only times that these Jews would be eating kosher. Who knows what they eat the rest of the time? Now that they’d be eating kosher for several days, don’t shoo them away. Let them have a few days of eating kosher, and don’t let their Shabbos departure disturb that opportunity.
With these few short words, Mr. Schechter took his answer and headed back to the hotel, making an exception for this couple and allowing them to stay in his hotel. When he called the couple back, he could tell from the other side of the line that they were touched beyond just the fact that they were allowed to stay in the hotel.
Mr. Schechter asked them what moved them so, and they went on to explain. They were Holocaust survivors who arrived in Israel with no family and no support system. Nobody in their new world showed them any interest in doing mitzvos, as they had done when they grew up in Europe, and so they slowly drifted away from their previous dedication. Eventually, they’d drifted so far as to stop observing Torah and mitzvos altogether.
The Couple Saw How the Rav Valued Their Mitzvos
When they heard how R’ Elyashiv valued the mitzvos they’d do by eating kosher, enough to advise the hotel to go against their policy, it was the first show of support they’d been given for their mitzvos that they’d heard of in a long time. They saw how he valued their mitzvos, and the empty void they’d felt all those years could be filled yet again.
When that Shabbos finally came, something surprising happened. The staff assumed that they’d see the couple packing their bags, making an obvious departure on Shabbos, but they saw no such thing. Mr. Schechter assumed that they’d defiantly be seen violating the Shabbos, but to the contrary, they were seen observing Shabbos and taking in every aspect of it, absorbing it into their bones and cherishing every moment.
This story doesn’t end here. Experiencing the uplifting aura of Shabbos left them motivated and inspired to start keeping other mitzvos. One mitzvah led to another, until over time they were observing all the mitzvos, no different than any other Yid. (excerpted from The Joy of Emunah, p. 259)
By knowing how their mitzvos were cherished by R’ Elyashiv, this couple built an inner appreciation toward Torah and mitzvos. We too, by knowing how our mitzvos are treasured by Hashem, we can build in us an inner recognition, appreciation, and admiration toward the mitzvos we do, leaving us with a strong pride, satisfaction and happiness in being able to serve Hashem.
Reprinted from the Parshas Kedoshim 5784 email of Zichru Toras Moshe.
