By Yoni Schwartz
The son of Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum, ZT”L, went around collecting money for a night Kollel. When he arrived at a certain house, the homeowner asked him, “How much is the afternoon learning seder in Yeshiva worth to your father?”
He said, “I don’t know exactly, but I’ll tell you a story. When my sister was getting married, the wedding was going to be held in a distant venue. My father asked her, ‘How much more would it cost to have it in a closer venue? I don’t want to miss afternoon seder.’ She responded, ‘$5,000.’ He then gave her $5,000 to avoid missing afternoon seder. So, I’m assuming it’s worth at least that much to him.”
The man then wrote a check for $5,000, an unusually large sum. When the Rav’s son opened the envelope in his car and saw this huge check, he went back confused and politely asked for an explanation. The homeowner said, “Now I have a story for you.” “Years ago,” he said, “there was a very sick girl in the hospital. As Rav Shmuel was there on another visit, the girl’s parents heard the tzaddik was close by, went over and asked him to give their daughter a brachah, which he did. Afterward, she nervously said, ‘I’m worried that I won’t survive and that my disease will turn shidduchim away from me. Can you please assure me that all will be okay and one day I’ll get married?
He said, ‘I guarantee.’ The family asked, ‘How can you guarantee?’ He said, ‘I just know. In the merit of the Sages Abaye and Rava, it’s going to work.’”
“This girl,” the homeowner added, “is my wife. When we got married, your father drove a long way, missing afternoon seder to be at our wedding.”
Reprinted from the Parshas Pekudei 5785 email of Torah Sweets.
