Story #1: There was a bochur who used to learn in the great Volozhiner Yeshiva. He was known as having the most encyclopedic knowledge (“biggest baki”) in the entire Yeshiva – which is certainly saying a lot. In Volozhin, they did not go through a cycle of 6 or 8 masechtos as is common in many yeshivos today. They began with Berachos (first masechta in Shas) and continued through Niddah (the final masechta of Shas). So, someone who was the “biggest baki” in Volozhin really knew his stuff!
This fellow was once sitting at a meal, and someone came in and asked him a question. He did not know the answer. Someone else at the table answered, “This is explicitly spelled out in Tosfos”. The “baki” was beside himself with dismay. He forgot a Tosfos! What did he do? He got up in the middle of the meal – did not finish his food, did not “bentch”, ran to the nearest shul and took a vow that he would learn straight for the next 7 years. And that’s what he did!
There was only one problem: He did not “bentch”. So, they asked the Rosh Yeshiva – Rav Chaim Volozhiner: Did he do right, or did he do wrong? Rav Chaim Volozhiner answered: He certainly did wrong, by not bentching. But had he stopped to recite the Birchas HaMazon, in the intervening minutes the passion of the moment would have passed. He would have never made the vow and never gone on to learn the next 7 straight years. It is no small matter to walk away from the mitzvah de’O’raisa to bentch, but inevitably, had he waited, the inspiration would have dissipated.
Story #2: One time, the person who took care of the finances for the Radin Yeshiva came into the Chofetz Chaim carrying a plain envelope sent through the Polish Postal System. The envelope contained 500 rubles in cash. We have to assume that the postal system in Radin circa 1920 was no better than the postal system in the United States 90 years later and yet nobody today would put $500 cash in uncertified mail and expect to see it arrive at where it is supposed to arrive.
The Chofetz Chaim told his secretary to find out the story behind this envelope. Who puts 500 rubles in an envelope in the mail without even bothering to get it certified? The story was as follows. A certain businessman was trying to make a business deal. He pledged “If this deal is successful, I am going to give 500 rubles to the Chofetz Chaim’s Yeshiva.” Lo and behold, the deal was successful, but it was late in the afternoon. The post office was already closed. So, he figured, alright I’ll send it out tomorrow. Then he heard a little voice in his head go off which said “Five hundred ruble? Do you not think the Yeshiva would be happy to receive 50 rubles? Of course they would be happy with 50 rubles! Why do I need to send 500 rubles?”
The man said, “I saw my determination dissipating. I was afraid that if I waited until tomorrow, it would become 5 rubles. I determined, come what may, I am going to stuff the money into an envelope and drop it into a mailbox – no certified mail, no return receipt required, because I saw that if I would wait any longer, the enthusiasm and determination to do the mitzvah would evaporate.
When moments of inspiration arrive, we must take massive and immediate action.
