The following remarkable story was heard from people who know the baalei hamaaseh. It occurred recently. We verified the details; it is a true story:
Reb Avraham Aboulafia is a respected Rav in Arizona. Recently, he was traveling to Toronto to arrange a get. (Through hashgachah pratis, the travel agent got him the last available seat on the plane.) The passenger sitting next to him was a dark man. Rabbi Aboulafia greeted him and asked him his name. The man replied, "Shah!" Rabbi Aboulafia understood that he preferred not to engage in conversation, so he didn't ask any more questions. He took out a sefer and began to learn the miforshim on the parashah of the week, parashas Chukas. He began reading, התורה חקת זאת...
Rabbi Aboulafia couldn't help but notice that his neighbor was staring at the words of the sefer. Finally, the goy pointed to the words התורה חקת and asked for the meaning of the words.
"This is a Jewish book, and these are Hebrew words." The goy was interested in the two words התורה חקת, wanting to know their translation. The Rav told him what it meant and taught him how to pronounce the words. While they were speaking, the goy rolled up his sleeve, revealing his tattooed arm. The tattoo was nothing other than the words "התורה חקת" written in lashon hakodesh. The Rav was shocked. Why did this goy have Torah words on his arm!? He asked for an explanation.
"When I was young," the goy replied, "my father had my arm tattooed with these words. He said it was a Chinese custom, an omen for the child's success. It is supposed to bring the child good luck for the rest of his life. He told me that wondrous secrets are hidden in these words."
The Rav told him his explanation didn’t make sense and kept probing for a proper explanation. The goy admitted, "For forty years, I've been trying to figure out what these words mean. In fact, until now, I didn't realize they were letters. I thought they were just symbols or drawings. Only now did I discover that they are letters." The Rav realized that the goy was speaking the truth; he had no idea why those words landed on his arm.
Then the goy said, "My father is still alive. He is seventy years old. You can call him and ask him about it."
The Rav took down his father's phone number and, as soon as the plane landed, called the man. He began the conversation by giving the father regards from his son. "I sat beside him on the plane; I enjoyed speaking to him. But I am wondering about something. I saw on your son's arm two words from our holy Torah: התורה חקת. Can you please tell me why these words were tattooed on his arm?
The father replied, "I learned this from the Chinese. When these letters are engraved on a child, it brings goodness to the child for his entire life."
The Rav replied, "Please, tell me the truth."
The father tried giving various other explanations, but the Rav sensed that he was hiding something. R’ Aboulafia, with wisdom and tact, succeeded in getting the secret out of the father.
The father broke down in bitter tears as he began his tragic story. "When I was a bachur, I studied in Ponevezh. I was very close with the great Rosh Yeshiva, the gaon Harav Shach zt'l. I studied with hasmadah, and after my chasunah, I learned in Kollel. As time passed, parnassah became very difficult. At that time, I was offered a nighttime job in an office. I would be able to continue learning Torah all day in Kollel and, at night, work in the office and earn parnassah. I asked my Rebbe, Rav Shach, whether I should accept the job. Rav Shach discussed it with me, considered all angles, and then advised me to take this job.
I learned by day, and I worked in an office at night. My parnassah problems were resolved. This went on for some time. But then, a non-Jewish, black woman was hired to clean the office at night, during the same hours I worked there. I immediately went to Rav Shach and informed him of this new development. Rav Shach ruled, "You cannot work there anymore under these conditions; it involves an issur of yichud!"
I began to plead with Rav Shach that I needed this job for my parnassah. I added that if I gave up this job, my shalom bayis would unravel, and my children would go hungry. Rav Shach opened a Shulchan Aruch [Even HaEzer 22] and showed me that the prohibition of yichud also applies with a gentile. I replied, "But Rebbe! What connection do I have with a black woman? I have no interest in her!"
Rav Shach replied, "Don't make chochmos! התורה חקת זאת, this is the decree of the Torah. If the Torah doesn't permit, we can't transgress. We can't be smarter than the Torah." He explained that one isn’t allowed to say the reason behind a prohibition doesn’t apply to him. What the Torah forbids is forbidden, and there is no room for chochmos and chesbonos!
But I didn't pass the test. I was desperate to earn a living, so I continued working there. I will not elaborate, but the black woman and I became friendly with time. I divorced my wife, left my young children, and married this black woman r”l. We moved to her country of origin. Throughout this whole time, I have before my eyes the scene of my Rebbe, Rav Shach, declared, זאת התורה חקת! When the Torah says something is forbidden, it is prohibited! This scene never left me and haunts me day and night.
When my son was born, I called him Shach, after my Rebbe, Rav Shach zt’l. (This is why the son said "Shah" when the Rav Aboulafia asked him for his name. It is difficult for non-Jews to pronounce the sound of a chaf, so he called himself "Shah" instead of "Shach.") I also immediately had my son tattooed with the words התורה חקת as a reminder of my Rebbe’s words. I wanted a constant reminder of what caused my destruction and downfall. I thought I was clever. I thought I could outsmart the Torah. And now, look what happened to me. From then until today, I have had no life. With one foolish act, I buried myself alive. I’m shattered and heartbroken, flung to the world's far corners.
(We hope that he will do teshuvah and the pasuk, Devarim 30:4, יקבצך משם שמים בקצה נדחך יהיה אם, "If your dispersed will be at the ends of the heaven, from there, Hashem, you G-d will gather you" should speedily apply to him.)
Let this story be a lesson that one shouldn't say, "What is so bad with this device?" Or "what is so terrible if I go to this questionable place? I am so far from and disgusted by all the garbage and temptations these devices offer. I only use them for constructive purposes, to find information, advice, etc". We must remember that one cannot be wiser than Hashem. There are, unfortunately, thousands of people who thought they were 'smart' and ended up falling to the lowest places. They fell there and are still stuck there. May Hashem have mercy on them and on their children.
Think about what happened to the person in the above story. He thought he could be smarter than Chazal, and fell to the lowest places. He ruined his life. So, let us be truly wise and keep the obligations of the Torah before our eyes, and keep them as Hashem commanded us to.
Haman was born because of such an error. Hashem commanded Shaul HaMelech to eradicate Amalek. But Shaul made a kal v'chomer, "If for one person [killed], the Torah says to bring an eglah arufah, it is certainly terrible to kill all these people." Because of this false claim, Shaul didn't kill Agag, and Haman was Agag's descendant. (Although we have no clue as to the greatness of Shaul HaMelech, nevertheless, the Torah teaches us this story so that we should learn from it.)
Following the Torah Blindly
The rectification is to follow the Torah blindly, without trying to be smarter, without trying to come up with flimsy excuses. This is called accepting the yoke of heaven. Shem MiShmuel (Shelach 5677) writes, "Temimus means... a person shouldn't follow his mind. He should be batel to Hashem's will. As the Jewish nation said by the Yam Suf, 'We have only the words of the son of Amram.'"
