Continue to Make Your Hishtadlus……
It was the middle of World War II, and there was no food to feed the boys in Rav Moshe Schneider’s Yeshivah in London.
Rav Sternbuch was about sixteen years old at the time, and was one of the few boys in the yeshivah who could speak English. The Rosh Yeshivah asked him to collect money for the Yeshivah in people’s homes.
Some people slammed the door in Rav Sternbuch’s face, others said that the boys should go out to work or contribute to the war effort instead of living off others. On one occasion, Rav Sternbuch did not even venture past the gate due to the sign warning “No hawkers allowed”.
In short, by the end of the evening, the young Rav Sternbuch had not managed to collect even one penny, and, to make matters worse, he had been forced to spend the Yeshivah’s money on a taxi.
The next morning Rav Sternbuch and the Rosh Yeshivah said nothing to each other. At ten o’clock, Rav Schneider called Rav Sternbuch over to speak to him, and Rav Sternbuch was sure that he would receive a hefty rebuke. Instead, the Rosh Yeshivah said, “Yasher ko’ach godol, Moshe, someone has just donated 25 pounds (a fortune in those days) to the Yeshivah, and it’s all because of you!”
Rav Sternbuch was completely taken aback, because he had no connection to this donor. He replied, “The Rosh Yeshivah must be making a mistake. Last night was a complete failure, and I don’t even know who this person is!”
Rav Schneider became very upset with Rav Sternbuch. “Don’t you have any emunah and bitochon? Our efforts do not always achieve immediate results.
It is a divine decree that we have to make hishtadlus before Hashem will fulfill his decrees. You did what you had to last night, acting with dedication for the sake of Heaven, and today Hashem has rewarded you in a very big way from another source for your efforts and willingness to demean yourself for the sake of Torah”.
Parashas Terumo. Based on droshos by Maran HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita, Gaavad of Yerushalayim. To receive these weekly divrei Torah email ravsternbuchtorah@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment