Rabbi Yehoshua Rokeach zt"l
Grand Rabbi of Belz
23 Shevat 5654 (1894)
Upon his arrival there, when he opened the door, the Rebbe arose from his deep thoughts, and promptly stood up to greet the young man. Noticing that the Rebbe had stood up, all the other students also stood. The young man was quite bewildered at all of this. The Rebbe then delivered his answer to the difficult question, and asked everyone to sit down. Sitting down with them, he turned to the young man and said, "Now tell us everything that happened to you."
After the young man told his story, the Rebbe said, "Surely you wonder why I stood up. The Gemara (Kiddushin 32:) says that Abayei was an orphan from both parents. How, then, could he fulfill the command of honoring one's parents, which is one of the Ten Commandments? Therefore, whenever anyone fulfills this Mitzva properly, Abayei accompanies him. So, since you did this Mitzva so well, Abayei went with you. When you came here, Abayei came with you, and I stood up in his honor. And it was he who gave me the answer to the difficult question."
Rebbe Yehoshua of Belz then added that in the Maharsha's commentary to this Gemara, he writes that the name Abayei is alluded to in the verse, "asher becha yerucham yasom" [the first letter of each word spells out the name Abayei], meaning, "in You the orphan finds mercy" (Hoshea, 14-4). This verse teaches that the best way to help the orphan is not by crying over him, but by insuring that he receives a proper Torah education as he grows up. For the numerical value of the letters of 'becha' [in You] is 22, hinting the 22 letters of the Torah, and if we bring the child up according to the Torah, this will bring great satisfaction to his parents in Heaven."
"Now you can understand why I asked you to sing Chapter 119," the Rebbe concluded, "for it is entirely about the holiness and greatness of the Torah."
