לאהבה את ה' אלקיכם ללכת בכל דרכיו ולדבקה בו וגו' (יא-כב)
The following story teaches us about the lengths a Jew must go to to follow in the ways of Hashem: “Just as He is merciful, so must we be merciful. Just as He performs acts of kindness, so must we act with kindness.”
There was a young couple who were not blessed with children for quite a number of years, ר"ל. The community in which they lived was sympathetic and tried to help them out. There were even people who helped pay for their fertility treatments. However, year after year went by and resignation followed by hints of depression had begun to set in. The childless couple was not observant in mitzvos and had never been to the Holy Land. A religious friend suggested that they visit Israel and he even offered to arrange for them to receive blessings from well-known “righteous men” (Tzaddikim) who lived there. The couple accepted the offer and scheduled their trip. The religious friend called his son who lived in Jerusalem and asked him to escort them. The son, Shai Shechter, agreed immediately and got right down to it.
His first call was to his Rosh Yeshivah in the Mir, R’ Nosson Tzvi Finkel, ZT”L, asking him for help. “Rebbe,” he asked, “may I come over this Motzei Shabbos, with a childless couple, for berachos?” The Rosh Yeshivah said of course.
The couple arrived in Israel on Thursday and Shai met them in Jerusalem. That evening, he accompanied them to a noted Rav who only spoke Yiddish. Shai acted as an interpreter between the Rav and the couple. The Rav listened to their tale of woe, took their names, and vowed to daven for them. Meanwhile, someone whispered in the Rav’s ear that the couple is not shomer mitzvos (observant). The elderly Rav did not like this fact and became somewhat agitated. When the couple looked at Shai for an explanation, all he said was, “I’m not sure what he’s saying .... but maybe we should go.”
On Motzei Shabbos, Shai met up with the couple and took them to R’ Nosson Tzvi’s apartment. Immediately noting that the wife was dressed inappropriately, Rebbetzin Finkel was nevertheless warm and friendly to her, and made the couple feel at ease in her home. Rebbetzin Finkel said to the woman, “You know, I’m very respectful of my husband. When I go in to speak with him, I wear a shawl. When we go in, I have one for you too.” The woman smiled and nodded her assent.
A minute later, they entered R’ Nosson Tzvi’s study. To their surprise, they found the Rosh Yeshivah crying. Shai was unsure what to do, and started speaking. “Rebbe, this is the couple that I spoke with you about. They’re here to ....”
The Rosh Yeshivah interrupted him. “Shai, be quiet,” he said in fluent English. “Stop and think about the difficult ordeal that this couple has to deal with. Hoping and praying for years that Hashem will bless them with a child.”
Thereupon, Rebbetzin Finkel started crying. Following suit, the couple started crying. Shai was dumfounded and the only one with a dry eye in the room. (He was 19 and unmarried at the time)
When everyone finally stopped crying, R’ Nosson Tzvi asked for their names, and vowed to daven for them. He spoke to them for a little while longer and set their minds at ease. The couple hung onto his every word.
As they got up to leave, the husband spoke. “Rabbi Finkel,” he said with great emotion, “my wife and I are so happy that we met you and your Rebbetzin. You are so kind, and we’re grateful for your blessings. But when Shai took us to this other great rabbi, he seemed to get angry after we spoke to him. We don’t know what to make of that.”
R’ Nosson Tzvi reacted emphatically. “I know that rabbi, and he’s a very, very holy man. He is so close to Hashem. After he heard what you’re going through, he no doubt began shouting, “Master of the World! Help this couple with a child! They’re going through so much, and look to You for an answer. Give them what they want since they so deserve it!”
The husband smiled as if to say he now understood. As they walked out, the Rosh Yeshivah quoted a posuk that only Shai would understand, implying that one can “bend” the truth for the sake of Sholom Bayis.
R’ Nosson Tzvi never lost touch with his sensitivity to anyone’s problems. The American couple went home with a new appreciation for a man imbued with the ideals of Torah and G-dliness and a real belief that the Tzaddik’s blessing will come true in the near future.
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