Old-Fashioned Torah Supporters
The following story, which took place a hundred years ago, illustrates what it means to feel responsible for supporting Torah.
There was a certain woman married to a poor tailor, she was mother to six children. At that time there were three “perushim,” three people dedicated to Torah learning, who sat in the local beis midrash and learned Torah all day. Others provided them with food. This poor woman would slice her daily loaf of bread into eleven slices, instead of eight, since she felt an obligation and responsibility to support the learners of the Torah. She would divide her loaf of bread between the members of her family and the three perushim who learned in the beis midrash, each one receiving an equal amount.
This is an example of a true sense of responsibility for Torah. This is a person who is a real supporter of Torah.
This is where we are “limping.” If only we would feel responsibility for the Torah, if only we would feel an obligation to support yeshivos and Torah learners the way we feel responsibility to feed our family and pay the electric bill! We should see it as part of our basic expenses.
If we would act in such a way, Mashiach would come. When the limp ends, the “sun” will rise.
