[Rav] Yosef Shalom [Elyashiv] grew up during a tense time in Yerushalayim. It was before the founding of the State of Israel, and the country was ruled by the British. While Jews were allowed to visit the Kosel, they were not allowed to bring holy objects there. Blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah was certainly forbidden.
Some of the young boys in Yosef Shalom’s shul were not happy with this situation and wanted to take action. On Rosh Hashanah, after davening was over, one of them planned on sneaking a shofar into the Kosel area and blowing it there.
Even though the plan was really dangerous and he would be arrested if caught, the boy still intended to go ahead with it. Yet not all his friends agreed with his idea. The boys continued to debate the plan. They were standing right outside the shul where Yosef Shalom was sitting and learning. He heard both sides and really wanted to join the discussion. He didn’t want to miss out. But he knew he should be learning and not wasting time.
So, he told himself, “You can go. Just learn for ten more minutes, and then go.” After ten minutes passed, he told himself again, “You can go. Just learn for ten more minutes, and then go.” One ten-minute time period led to another, and he kept pushing off going out to join the conversation. Eventually, he became more and more involved in the learning and no longer wanted to join.
Reprinted from the Parshas Eikev 5785 edition of At the Artscroll Shabbos Table. Excerpted from the ArtScroll book – “When They Were Young: Stories of Our Gedolim as Children” by Rabbi Yerachmiel Garfield.
