It happened before the First Knessiah Gedola in Vienna, where many leaders of Klal Yisroel, Admorim, Rabbonim, Roshei Yeshivas, and Marbitzei Torah got together, including the Chofetz Chaim.
The Chofetz Chaim was hosted by a wealthy person by the name of R’ Akiva Schreiber. He was very excited about the opportunity to have such a gadol ha’dor, and he worked hard to let the Chofetz Chaim learn in peace and quiet without being troubled by all the many people who wanted to see him.
There was one askan from England who wanted to go in and see the Chofetz Chaim very badly and asked the host if he could allow him in to discuss an important matter with the Chofetz Chaim for a short time.
R’ Akiva thought to himself, “who would be more worthy than such an askan to go in and have a private audience with the Chofetz Chaim?” And so, he told the askan that at One O’clock, when the Chofetz Chaim eats lunch, the askan can come in and catch the Chofetz Chaim for a few minutes.
The askan was very excited and entered the house from a side entrance, anticipating his chance to audience with the Chofetz Chaim. He watched as the Chofetz Chaim finished eating and said the perek of Tehillim 23 like he said at every meal. He said it slowly and emphasized specifically the words of the last pasuk (verse) “May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days.”
He then turned to the people sitting at the table and looked at the askan from England. “Why did Dovid Hamelech connect tov and chessed to redifah? They sound like opposites.” The askan didn’t know why the Chofetz Chaim picked him to ask this question, but he understood why once the Chofetz Chaim answered the question:
“Every person has rodfim, people who run after him during his life. Some people have their enemies running after them, some people have their neighbors, and others have other random people running after them. Then there are select people who are invested in helping the klal, and they have many people running after them, coming for money, advice, etc. They are literally being run after, but they are being run after for their good work in tov and chessed.
“That is what Dovid Hamelech is asking for: Let them run after me while I’m busy with askanus type of work, and there will be no need for other rodfim to come after me.”
After the Chofetz Chaim finished, the askan got up to leave. R’ Akiva stopped him and asked, “Didn’t you say that wanted to discuss something of great importance with the Chofetz Chaim? Why are you leaving without asking anything”
The askan answered him that his work as an askan does not afford him any time or peace of mind. He is busy all day and night. People are coming for money, for loans, getting kids into school, changing things in shul, etc. He doesn’t have a life! He thus came to ask the Chofetz Chaim if he should continue this work or whether he could stop. But before he could ask, the Chofetz Chaim answered his question. He gave him a clear answer, and he had no more qualms.
“It’s up to me to decide if I’d rather be chased down by people for my work in askanus or for other reasons. I choose like Dovid Hamelech — to be sought after in chessed work.”
R’ Yerucham Levovitz says that the best thing a person can do for himself is to be an Ish Klal, someone who busies himself with others. It’s a great investment and will help with judgement for the coming year. We all look for zechusim to add to our account; the best zechus is to help others. When we help others, we are viewed as someone Klal Yisroel depends on thereby making the zechus ha’rabim a real zechus for us to have a good year and more ability to continue helping.
Reprinted from the Parshas Ki Seitzei 5784 email of Zichru Toras Moshe.
“If you don’t like starting again, stop quitting in the middle.”
Reprinted from the archives of the Torah Sweets Weekly email.
