By Esther Stern
Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky
R’ Zalman Estolin spent many years as a slave laborer in the frozen desolation of Siberia, completely cut off from any Jewish community. He certainly never had the opportunity to pray with a minyan - something we take for granted. He never even had a chance to answer Amen to a fellow Jew’s berachah.
When R’ Estolin finally managed to leave the Soviet Union, he made aliyah to Eress Yisrael. It was late at night when R’ Estolin arrived in Eress Yisrael. He headed straight to the home of his esteemed brother-in-law, R’ Yaakov Galinsky, in Bnei Brak. How thrilled he was to reunite with his family! They, too, were delighted to see him, and did everything they could to assure his comfort.
In the morning, R’ Galinsky showed his brother-in-law the way to a large shul close to his home. Though R’ Estolin needed the assistance of crutches to walk, his face was aglow as he slowly advanced down the block. After all those years, he would finally be able to pray with a minyan - and in a shul, no less!
The Galinskys assumed that their esteemed guest would have no trouble finding the way home on his own. An hour passed, and then another quarter of an hour, and then even more. There was still no sign of R’ Estolin. They began to worry.
R’ Galinsky decided to investigate. He went all the way to shul without coming across any sign of his brother-in-law. Once inside, he looked upstairs and downstairs, checking every room. Finally, he found R’ Estolin, obviously very weary, but still standing up - supported by his crutches, his face radiating joy.
“What happened? Why are you still here in shul?” R’ Galinsky asked his brother-in-law with concern. “You must have finished Shaharit long ago; come home and eat breakfast. It’s not Yom Kippur today!”
“I know, but I just can’t leave,” answered his brother-in-law. “I finished praying some time ago, but then another minyan started, and then another. Each one offers me the chance to say Amen and Yehei Shemei Rabba and Kedushah again and again.
“Do you know how many years I’ve been waiting for this precious opportunity? Now that Hashem has given it to me, I can’t bear to give it up just to go home and eat breakfast!” (Excerpted from the Feldheim book – “Just One Word”)
Reprinted from the Parshat Vayechi 5786 email of Rabbi David Bibi’s Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace.
