By Rabbi Yisroel Besser
The Nesivos Shalom
A chassid once went to speak with the Slonimer Rebbe (Rabbi Sholom Noach Berezovsky), the mechaber of the sefer Nesivos Shalom. The chassid had been involved in a serious vehicular accident, and he had miraculously emerged without injury.
He wanted to express his gratitude to the Ribbono shel Olam, and he asked the Rebbe to guide him as to how to properly repay the debt.
“If you are asking my advice,” the Nesivos Shalom said, “then I would suggest that you do not repay the debt!”
The Rebbe explained. “If you find some symbolic way of expressing hoda’ah, then you will have discharged this obligation, and then you will move on. Rather, instead of doing something, I think you should live your life like a baal chov, someone who is in debt, aware at every moment, with each decision and choice that you make, that He gave you your life as a gift.”
Reprinted from the Rosh Hashanah 5785 edition of At the ArtScroll Yom Tov Table. Excerpted from the ArtScroll book – “Aleinu – The Power and the Pride.”
