Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz
Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz, Shlit”a, relates that a number of years ago, there was a story circulating in Yerushalayim about an older Bachur, who approached one of the Tzadikim of the generation who had a reputation of being a Mekubal, who delved in the secrets of the Torah. The young man requested of the Tzadik that he Bentch him to find a proper Shidduch.
However, the Tzadik tried to evade him. When the young man saw that he was reluctant to give him a Brachah, he decided to insist on it, and he would not budge from his place. After a short while, the Tzadik said to him, “I am not able to do anything for you, because according to your Mazel, there is no Shidduch for you at all. I’m sorry.”
The Bachur Left Confused and Upset
The Bachur left there, confused and upset, and the next morning he returned to the Tzadik again to speak with him. The Tzadik took one look at his face and said, “Tell me the truth. What did you do last night?”
The young man responded, “Yesterday, when the Rav told me that there was no possible Shidduch for me, I went to Shul and stood next to the Aron HaKodesh and I cried bitterly all night long, and now I have returned.”
The Rav told him, “You should know that you have been saved in an extraordinary way! The Torah teaches us that if someone kills accidentally, he must go live in an Ir Miklat, a city of refuge, ‘until the death of the Kohein Gadol’, and the Mishnah (Makkos 2:6) relates that ‘the mothers of the Kohanim would supply these people with food and clothing, so that they should not Daven for their sons to die’.
“Everybody asks a question on this. Is it because of the food and drinks that the mothers supplied, that these people will stop Davening? They are in jail in that city! They can never leave! However, the answer to this is that even if they continue to Daven, their Tefilos will not come from the depths of their hearts. They still think about the food and clothing. When you spent the entire night crying and Davening, your Tefilos came from a completely broken heart, and those cries and Tefilos were heard and answered. I can now give you a Brachah for a Shidduch, and you will indeed get married very soon!”
Every Person Must Realize the Need to Daven
Within just a short while, this young man became a Chasan and was married soon after! Rav Gamliel explains that everyone has needs and issues that they are facing, and the main thing that we must realize is that a person needs to Daven. This doesn’t mean simply ‘lip service’, rather it is true Tefilah which comes from the depths of the heart. This rises and splits the sky until it reaches the Kisei HaKavod! This can be done for any matter that one needs help with, both physical and spiritual as well. Tefilah that emits from the depths of the heart is guaranteed to not come back empty!
Reprinted from the Rosh Hashanah 5785 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
