Parshas Balak
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
[Ed. note: Just last week I was reading Mishpacha Jewish Family Weekly Magazine Issue #865 when I came across the fascinating article Eternal Flame: 80 Years Later, Rav Elchanan Wasserman’s Legacy Still Burns Bright. I would like to present to you one very powerful short story that I read in the article which really made me think – and I hope it will do the same for you -dz.]
But first, a little background…
It was the year 1938, and Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman ZT”L - Rosh Yeshivah (Dean) of the Ohel Torah Yeshivah of Baranovich, Poland and a great Torah leader of Polish Jewry - was headed to North America on a whirlwind tour to many cities with Jewish populations including New York City, Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Boston, Detroit, Scranton, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, in order to collect desperately needed funds to keep his yeshiva back home financially afloat.
During the 17 months he spent traversing America, Rav Elchonon didn’t only advocate for his students back in Baranovich. He also planted seeds for the eventual flourishing of a new yeshivah world, nurtured a select group of future activists and leaders, and helped American Jewry set priorities so the coming generations would remain firmly linked to their heritage.
[Despite Hitler’s rise to power and the anti-Semitism that was prevalent at that time, Reb Elchanan decided to return to his yeshivah in Europe in May 1939, only to be murdered together with thousands of his fellow Jews on Monday Night, July 8, 1941 under the command of SS Commander Karl Jager at the Seventh Fort outside Kovno, Lithuania.]
And now for the story …
Rav Elchonon once made an appointment with “Philip Goldstein” (name changed), with whom he’d attended cheder (Jewish school) as a boy. Mr. Goldstein was now the wealthy owner of a coat factory, but had long since abandoned Judaism, and rarely donated to Torah institutions. The old friends shared memories of their childhood and spoke about what each had been doing since. After being brought up to date, Rav Elchonon turned to leave. Mr. Goldstein was confused.
“But… didn’t you come here for something?” he asked.
“As a matter of fact, I did come for something,” Rav Elchonon said. “I have a problem. There’s a loose button on my coat, and I know that you have a coat factory. Could one of your employees come and tighten up this button?”
Confused, Mr. Goldstein summoned an employee by telephone to come repair Rav Elchonon’s coat. The employee tightened all the buttons. “Now come on,” said Mr. Goldstein. “You must have come here for something more important than fixing a loose button.”
“No, that really was my reason,” said Rav Elchonon, as he thanked his friend once again and left.
The following day, Mr. Goldstein called Rav Elchonon and asked that he return to his office. Rav Elchonon arrived and found Mr. Goldstein in an agitated state. “It just doesn’t make sense. No one travels all the way from Europe to America just to fix a loose button. You could have had this done for you right there in Baranovich. Why did you come to me?”
“I already told you. I really came to you just for the buttons,” replied Rav Elchonon.
“That’s ridiculous!” Goldstein countered. “Tell me the truth; didn’t you come to ask for a donation to your yeshivah?”
“Let me explain what I meant,” began Rav Elchonon. “You refuse to accept that I would come such a long way just to tighten a few buttons. So I ask you: Why do you think that G-d sent you all the way down to This World? Just to sew a few buttons? This is the reason why you’re here? All I did was travel a few thousand miles, whereas you came all the way from under G-d’s throne of glory, and for what? To sew a few buttons?”
This powerful story about Reb Elchanan Wasserman and the wealthy coat factory owner really makes us think about life and why we’re here.
Are we here just to “sew a few buttons”, or do we have a loftier mission here on earth?
And if we do have a higher purpose in life – as befitting our holy souls which emanate from beneath G-d’s “throne of glory”, how do we find out exactly what it is?
Hmmm … something(s) to think about!
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=671