By the Chofetz Chaim
By Yoni Schwartz
Baruch was a very gifted student who studied in the Chofetz Chaim’s yeshiva. When he was preparing to leave, he visited the Chofetz Chaim, ZT”L, hoping to receive words of encouragement, and perhaps even a blessing. He received neither. Instead, the Chofetz Chaim made him promise - not once or twice, but three times - that he would keep Shabbos. He walked out both disappointed and confused; there he was, one of the top students in the yeshiva, and all he was being told to do was keep Shabbos?!
Fast forward a couple of years. The Nazis were taking over Europe and parts of Russia. Somehow, Baruch was lucky enough to obtain visas for himself, his wife, and his children. When they came to America, they quickly realized that it was not a land flowing with milk and honey. It was the middle of the Great Depression, and everyone was living in dire poverty. Baruch’s family was barely scraping by from meal to meal; his children were hungry, and their clothes were full of holes. One day, as he was already on edge, his boss called him into his office and said that if he didn’t agree to start working on Shabbos, he would be fired.
The Chofetz Chaim, zt”l
Already under an enormous amount of pressure, with his family almost starving, he and his wife decided to give in. As he was about to step onto the train, the Chofetz Chaim’s words flashed through his mind, and he said, “No! I will not break Shabbos!” He turned around and went back home. The next day, his boss came to his house and said, “Congratulations! You passed the test.”
“What test?” Baruch replied.
“My partner and I made a bet. He thought that religious Jews are just money-hungry people with no values. He bet that you’d break Shabbos if we pressured you. Congratulations! Not only did you win the bet, but starting Monday, you are promoted to be the new manager, and here’s an extra $1,000 for the trouble we put you through.”
Reprinted from the Parshas Ki Sisa 5786 email of Torah Sweets.
