By Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz
Right before Pesach, a tall man came into our Kollel. In one hand he carried a briefcase, and in the other, he held a binder. My curiosity was aroused, and I followed him to see what he was there for. He sat down on a bench by the wall, and he opened the briefcase, which was filled with crisp new bills.
At his request, the young men in the Kollel began to go over to him, and one after the other, he would write down the name of the young man, and hand him a new 200 Shekel bill, to be used for his Pesach expenses. I also approached him and received a gift. I was very happy to get this monetary help, and I thanked him warmly.
I waited until after all the distributions, and I noticed a young man sitting in another corner of the Bet Midrash, and he had not lifted his eyes from the Sefer he was learning the whole time. I felt bad for him to lose out on the money because he was learning, and I went over to him and told him that the man was almost finished handing out money to everyone, but he simply replied, “When one is learning, he does not stop for any treasure in the world!”
He then went back to his Sefer, and didn’t pay attention to anything else that was going on. I was amazed by his devotion, and even more awed by his strength, knowing that he did not have a penny in his pocket. Still, he continued learning as if nothing was happening around him. I waited until after the distribution, when every young man had taken his Yom Tov gift and had continued learning.
When the wealthy man finished, he noticed that young man sitting on the other side of the Bet Midrash, and he asked me who that young man was, and why he didn’t come over to get his Pesach gift? It was remarkable to me, because, there were about 180 young men learning in the Kollel, and he noticed one person who didn’t approach him for a gift. I told him that this certain individual will not stop learning for anything.
The man finished, closed up his briefcase, and headed right over to that young man who was still learning. I saw him put 1,000 Shekel into the hand of the young man, and wished him a Chag Sameach. The young man smiled and thanked him with sincerity, and immediately continued learning as if nothing had happened. The wealthy man then left the Bet Midrash.
When I watched this happen, I got an incredible lesson of what it means to live a life of Emunah and trust in Hashem. This story took place years ago, but it left an everlasting impression on me. I learned what Chazal have taught, that there is no one who listens and does the will of Hashem and loses out because of it!
Reprinted from an email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
