Lesson of Parshat “Bamidbar” 5774 Welcoming Guests - to What Extent?
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בס"ד "אין עוד מלבדו..." "ברוך פודה ומציל, ברוך שמו"!! "אין סוף תודות, לאין סוף ברוך הוא"!!! Issue 661 עלון שכולו קודש ללא שום פרסומות שקריאתן אסורה בשבת משום קריאת שטרי הדיוטות. להקדשה או הנצחה חייגו: 450-888-9393 What is the gift that Candles lighting time: Shabbat ends: Lastest Kriat Shema: Mincha Gedola: G- d sends to those Los Angeles: 19:32 Los Angeles: 20:36 Los Angeles: 8:21 Los Angeles: 13:25 who love him and New York: 19:52 New York: 21:03 New York: 8:05 New York: 13:30 those he loves ?? London: 20:35 London: 22:05 London: 6:57 London: 13:37 A poor Guest!! (Zohar Parshat Vayakhel) Lesson of Parshat “Bamidbar” 5774 Welcoming Guests - To what Extent? This past Monday, on the 19th of Iyar, marks the 44th year the poor and less privileged were guests at his table, and to the passing of the Rosh Yeshiva of the esteemed “Porat the Rosh Yeshiva was meticulous in serving them Yosef” Yeshiva, Chacham Ezra Atia Ztz’l may his merit personally. protect us. This is what Rabenau Yonah wrote (Sefer Hayirah): “A We did not merit to see him, yet we heard much about him person should always pursue poor people to bring to his from his student that followed him as Rosh Yeshiva, home, and he should receive them with a pleasant Chacham Yehuda Tzadka Ztz’l may his merit protect us. countenance, and immediately when they come he should “The teacher”, that is how he was called by his students, put bread in front of them so the poor person should not Chacham Yehuda Tzadka, Chacham Ben-Zion Aba have to shame himself in asking, and he should give them Shaul and Chacham Ovadia Yosef, may their memory be his bread and water with a shining face, and even if he has a blessing. sadness and worry in his heart - he should remove it when And as his nickname “the teacher”, such is the name of the in front of his guests, and he should console them with book that was published about him that recounts a small words, and he should return their spirit, and even if he has fraction of his manners and ways in holiness, and his constant a hundred servants - he himself should exert the effort and rare thirst for learning our holy Torah in great depth. and serve them”. The financial situation of Chacham Ezra Ztz’l was far from On the manner of serving food to the guest the Chofetz average, there were days when his wife the Rebbetzin A’H Chaim wrote in his book “Ahavat Chesed” part 3 chapter did not have the basic ingredients necessary to prepare 2: “It is brought down in the holy Zohar (parshat Vayahkel) lunch, and so it happened that for an entire day not one piece on the verse “slice your bread for the hungry”, that the of food entered his mouth, and yet still he continued and host needs to slice the bread and place it in front of the persevered in his learning as if he just finished a hearty meal. guest so that he will not be embarrassed to slice it himself, In one instance, when his students brought up the topic of and all the more so it is prohibited to watch him eat, and he the difficult financial crises that existed at that time - should invite the guest to stay and sleep in his home, and he affecting almost every household, the Rabbi said: “I, the should give him his best bed, since great is the rest of the small person, received everything from G-d blessed be he, weary when in comfort, and sometimes it is a greater favor and I have even more than I deserve, Give thanks to to give someone a bed than to give him food and drink”. Hashem, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.” To what extent? In what context? Despite his great poverty he was always happy to welcome The Gaon (genius) and great Chasid Rabbi Nachum of guests and feed them from the little food he had, and in one Shadik Ztz’l spent most of his days immersed in fasting, instance when he sat at the table awaiting to be served his and for many years he took upon himself “intermittent meal, there was suddenly a knock at the door and in fasts”, during which a person ceases from eating, neither walked one of the poor people who was a frequent guest at eating or drinking on all the weekdays, only eating on his house. Rabbi Ezra got up from his chair and received Shabbat. his guest warmly in saying: “Welcome! How great it is that One of the elders of the town noticed a poor man exit the you arrived exactly on time”, and he quickly went to the home of Rabbi Nachum Ztz’l and walk towards him, and kitchen taking the portion his wife, the Rebbitzen prepared when this man neared, the elder man asked:” How was it for him, and with great joy served it to his guest. by the Rabbi? Have you ever seen such a righteous person His student, the Rosh Yeshiva Chacham Yehuda Tzadka who eats nothing for an entire week?” “The two of us just ate Ztz’l acted in the same manner, on each and every Shabbat together,” answered the guest. The elder man was shocked To receive this Torah Newsletter by email, please send a request to: [email protected] בס"ד "אין עוד מלבדו..." "ברוך פודה ומציל, ברוך שמו"!! "אין סוף תודות, לאין סוף ברוך הוא"!!! when he heard this and he quickly headed to the home of Rabbi Nachum, and as he entered he asked: “Please tell me Rabbi is it true that you broke the fast and ate to your hearts content with the guest that just left”? “It is indeed true” answered the Rabbi and added: “and I want to tell you, since my entire intention in eating with him was to give him a good feeling, I am certain that in eating I brought more satisfaction to our father in heaven than all Question: the “intermittent fasts” that I merited and completed to Dear Rabbi, May you be blessed with peace. this day! Amazing! My letter is very sad and my life is much sadder, my About the importance and obligation of the good feeling that sisters and I were born to a righteous and blameless we must grant our poor guests, added and wrote Rabbeinu mother who suffered terribly from our cruel father. We Yona in his interpretation on the Mishnah: “Let your home were very badly abused, father was and still is a sadist be wide open” and he writes: “One must receive the poor of the first order, while we were still young he used to with a pleasant and happy countenance to the point he enjoy abusing us to the point where our good mother causes them by this to become accustomed in visiting his had no choice but to escape and flee with us to another home and they will feel comfortable being there without any city in the north of the country. shame, and he should grant them the permission to use any We had a few short months of peace and tranquility of his possessions, just as he allows his family to do so”. until that bitter day that father came in a taxi and The Gaon and Tzadik Rabbi Chaim Brim Ztz’l told an kidnapped me and my sisters from school. It is very amazing story: “I was once at the house of Chazon Ish hard for me to write about the great suffering and until a late hour and the Chazon Ish insisted I stay for the trauma we went through in his home for more than ten night in his home. I will never forget what my eyes years, he used to starve us and forbid us to talk to one witnessed, how the Chazon Ish and his brother in law the another, he used to enjoy beating us with a belt, when Steipler with his wife the Rebbitzen (sister of the Chazon we used to try to save each other from those cruel Ish) all three of them busied themselves with the mitzvah of beatings he used to increase the rate of beatings and “welcoming guests” with great love and pleasantness. torture, and we used to scream to heaven from the The Steipler and his wife carried the mattress and bed indescribable pain and suffering, a lot of times we spread while the Chazon Ish walked in front directing them asked him to kill us to end our pain. When I grew up I on where to lay the mattress. I do not recall if the Chazon gathered the courage and in the middle of the night I Ish carried any of the sheets yet I remember that the woke up my sisters and whispered in their ears to get Chazon Ish himself prepared a pitcher of water for washing up quietly and we escaped together. hands in the morning and laid it beside the mattress. When They were very afraid and I don't know from where I I tried to object to all this great effort, the Chazon Ish told received the strength and courage but we walked me: since when does an Etrog have the right to tell its shaking towards the front door while we were all owner what do with him?” meaning: I was “the object of the wearing our pyjamas.