Immediately, R’ Shach jumped up from his chair and exclaimed, “Quick, we must say a special prayer for Reb Ya’akov ben Etka!”
The grandson stood open-mouthed and in shock. R’ Shach knew the name of his great-grandmother! The very information which he had labored to uncover – and the Rosh Yeshivah already knew it! He was unable to contain himself.
“Rebbe,” he began meekly, “for the last twelve hours I have been trying to find out my great-grandmother’s name in order to present it to the Rosh Yeshivah. Now I see that the Rosh Yeshivah already knows the name. How is this possible?”
R’ Shach explained. “Years ago, your grandfather visited Eress Yisrael. I was privileged to get to know him then, and he left such an incredible impression on me. Right then and there, I asked him for his mother’s name. I could not imagine a Jewish world without a healthy R’ Ya’akov, and there is not a single day that goes by that I do not say a special prayer for his welfare!” (Torah Tavlin)
Reprinted from the Parashat Mishpatim 5784 email of Rabbi David Bibi’s Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace.
