By Rabbi Reuven Semah
The atmosphere a person finds himself in can deeply affect him for good or otherwise. Being in a holy atmosphere or in the very presence of a great person can, like being in the proverbial perfume store, surround the person with a “pleasant scent” of holiness and purity.
Rav Avrohom Pam would repeat a remarkable story relevant to this topic, which he heard from the esteemed R’ Peretz Steinberg of Queens. R’ Steinberg’s father, Alex Steinberg, was a wealthy businessman and generous philanthropist. He once organized a fund-raising parlor meeting in his home to benefit Bet Midrash Govoha of Lakewood, and the guest Rabbi would be the Rosh Yeshivah, R’ Aharon Kotler. Alex invited his friends, neighbors and business associates, among them a non-religious neighbor, who came because he was told there would be good food and an address by a “famous Rabbi.”
After the buffet was served, the assembled sat down to listen to the guest speaker. This man sat right in front of Rav Aharon. The Rav, instead of giving a speech, delivered a complicated shiur. As is well-known, Rav Aharon’s shiurim were extremely complex, and his rapid-fire delivery often made his profound words comprehensible only to the most seasoned talmid hacham.
When he finished, the parlor meeting ended, and the non-religious man stood up to say good-bye to the host, Mr. Steinberg. With a serious look on his face, the man said, “You know, Alex, I didn’t understand one word the Rabbi said. However, I know that now I’m going to live differently.”
“What happened?” asked Mr. Steinberg.
“I don’t know, but the Rabbi ‘spoke’ to me with his eyes and asked why I did not keep the Sabbath.”
This man’s remarkable turnaround came about because of his one-time exposure to the “sweet and pleasant” that surrounded the radiant presence of Rav Aharon. The man’s proximity to him for a mere half hour listening to a lecture in Lithuanian Yiddish about which he understood nothing at all left such an impression on him that it effected this profound change in his life!
Reprinted from the Parashat Yitro 5786 email of Rabbi David Bibi’s Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace.
