By Rabbi Elimelech Biderman
The Chazon Ish, (Rabbi Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz, 1878-1953) zt'l, once asked his sister, the Steipler Rebbetzin, to lock the door and not open it for anyone. Soon afterwards, a girl knocked at their door. When no one answered, the girl began pounding on the door. The Steipler Rebbetzin said, "If I don’t open the door, she will soon break the door down." The Chazon Ish replied, "Tell her to go to Rav Wolf," who was then the principal of the girls' high-school.
Soon afterwards, Rav Wolf came to the Chazon Ish and told him the girl’s story. She came from a religious family, but transgressed severe sins when she was in the army. Her sins made her feel extremely low, and she wanted to commit suicide.
The Chazon Ish replied, "Tell her to forget about what happened. She shouldn’t think about her sins. Tell her that the Gemara says that thinking and rehashing in your mind the sins you’ve committed in the past is worse than the sin itself.
The Chazon Ish
She followed that counsel and calmed down. Eventually she merited marrying and building a beautiful Jewish family. It is doubtful this would have occurred had she remained stuck with her remorse. This is one of the areas where the yetzer hara tricks us. It’s important to pass this difficult test, to forget about the past faults and just move on. Later you can make time for teshuvah.
Reprinted from the March 7, 2024 email of the Torah Times. Copied with permission from Machon Be’er Emunah.
