Rav Shimon Finkelman once related a story. In Lithuania in the last century, there lived a very poor couple, but they were full of Yiras Shamayim. They had very little in the way of furniture, but were very wealthy in Torah and Mitzvos. The wife did not have any nice clothing to wear on Shabbos and Yom Tov.
A Few Coins Each Week for the Purchase of a New Dress
One day, her husband decided that it was time for his wife to buy a new dress. They put aside a few coins each week, until they had enough money to buy a dress. The wife went to a seamstress and chose the garment that she wanted. As the husband walked through the town’s streets, he noticed a man selling Seforim, and he was surrounded by many customers.
The dealer was offering one specific Sefer. It was a new edition of a Gemara Masechta Bava Kama, with the commentary of the Rashash, Rav Shmuel Strashun, zt”l. This was the first printing of a Gemara that had this commentary.
The man inspected a volume. What a work of beauty! He was not thinking of his own learning, though. His mind was on his son, who was a diligent Yeshivah Bachur. He knew his son would soon begin learning Bava Kama, and he needed a Gemara.
What Would His Wife Say?
The dealer told him the price, and it cost almost as much as the dress. The man stood in silence, pondering what to do. Of course, this money was intended for his wife, not his son. But what would his wife say? There was no time to go home and ask her. The volumes were selling quickly, and only a few remained. The dealer would soon leave town, and would probably not return for another six months.
“I know my wife better than anyone,” he thought. “Surely, she would be willing to make any sacrifice for the sake of our son’s learning.” Having reached that decision, he handed the dealer the money, and asked him to wrap up the Gemara.
On his way home, the man met the city’s Rav, who asked him what he was carrying. When the man told him what he had purchased and why.
The Rav excitedly asked if he could come home with him to see his son’s reaction, when he would receive the Gemara. The two walked up the path to the couple’s home.
Suddenly, the husband stopped. “What’s wrong?” the Rav asked. The husband replied, “I bought the Gemara after coming to the conclusion that this is what my wife would want me to do. But what if I’m wrong? What if she will be upset?” But it was too late. His wife had come to meet him at the door. He greeted his wife, and she welcomed him and the Rav into their home. He slowly opened the package and told her who the Gemara was for, and he waited for her to react.
To his surprise, his wife smiled broadly and said, “Oh, I’m so delighted! This is the most wonderful gift that I have ever received!” and she explained how she would much rather have something that would help her son learn Torah than a new dress.
This story was related by Rav Avraham Kalmanowitz, zt”l, the Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Mir in Europe and America. The couple in the story were his grandparents, and their son was Rav Kalmanowitz’s father, Rav Aharon Aryeh Leib, zt”l!
Reprinted from the Parshas Chaya Sarah 5783 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
