Weekly Story: To Bless Someone – Help Him
by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon
Last Shabbos I heard from Rabbi Nissim Mangel sheyiche the following thought in the name of Rav Ephraim Karo, the father of the Beis Yosef, Rav Yosef Karo.
The Torah instructs the Kohanim to bless the Jewish nation and dictates what the brocha should be. We in Chutz L’Aretz (in the diaspora) hear the priestly benediction from the kohanim only on the three Yomim Tovim. Whereas the minhag of the Sephrdic community is that the Kohanim recite it every day.
He mentions, the Torah says that the kohanim should say the three pesukim of Yivureichicha, Yu’ear and Yisa. In the Talmud our sages learn out from pesukim that the Kohanim should raise their hands while they say it. His question is why should they raise their hands? They are repeating the blessing that Hashem instructed them to say, isn’t that enough?
He answers: Our sages are telling us, sometimes you see a person is in a difficult situation. So while it is wonderful that you don’t just pass by them as if they and their situation doesn’t exist, but you speak to them and bless them that Hashem will help, our sages are telling us, there is something more that you should do and that is, to raise your finger or hand and see if there is a way for you to help that individual or group.
Rabbi Mangel then related the following story that happened around 5720 (1960).
His sister and her husband were living in Eretz Yisroel and for whatever reason they decided to move to Caracas, Venezuela. Around that time he merited to have a yechidus with the Rebbe and asked for a brocha that their move should be successful and work out to their satisfaction.
The Rebbe whose brochos definitely help, wasn’t satisfied with giving a brocha. He said, “Nissim, what do they need. There are people in that city that are connected to Lubavitch. Tell me what they need and I will ask them to help them.”
That is why the kohanim raise their hands. Not only are they willing to bless someone with their mouth, but they are showing us to raise our hands to help another individual.
Being that I am speaking about last week, I will mention that I received some emails about last weeks post (about the long V’hoo Rachoom on Monday and Thursday), and one of them is from an individual whom I have tremendous respect for.
The email noted that perhaps I should have included about Monday and Thursday; namely what Tosefes (Baba Kamma 82A) brings down from the midrash Tanchuma that the reason why we read the Torah on Monday and Thursday (and why some people fast on those days) is because Moshe Raibeinu went up the mountain for the third time on a Thursday and came down with the Luchos on a Monday. So it demonstrates that they are auspicious days for Hashem’s compassion.
Now to the story that I was planning on posting this week. As always your feedback is greatly appreciated.
As noted in previous weeks I am researching about the Frierdiker Rebbe’s life. One of the questions that I would like to clarify is what exactly was his responsibility as becoming his father’s right hand in his communal work? This was much more than becoming his father’s secretary, writing letters for him.
I recently read in his Igros Kodesh, vol. 13 p. 366 the following:
When Mendel Beilis was arrested in 1911 and accused of killing a gentile child, the Rebbe Rashab understood that he would need the best advocates to defend him from these completely fabricated and libelous accusations. So he concluded that he will hire the renowned lawyer Mr. Oscar Gruzenberg and that Mr. Gruzenberg will assemble the team needed for the defense.
The Rebbe Rashab wrote a heartfelt letter to him and his son, HaRav Yosef Yitzchok personally delivered it. Being that the lawyer lived in the Ukraine, HaRav Yosef Yitzchok first traveled to Kremenchuk and requested Reb Shmuel Gurary to come with him to Mr. Gruzenberg.
Mr. Gruzenberg received them graciously and after reading the Rebbe’s letter, he said that while he is honored he feels that the government is going to get their best lawyers to prosecute the case and any lawyers efforts may be futile. So therefore he respectfully declines.
HaRav Yosef Yitzchok explained to him the severity for the entire Jewish nation if Beilis is not acquitted, and therefore they are obligated to give it their best chance of success, and if we don’t hire the best we are helping them achieve their objective. After discussing it for a half an hour, he accepted the task.
He prefaced his acceptance with the following thought.
When I was a child there was a family in my city that was well liked by everyone, Jews and non-Jews alike, besides for one family that was extremely envious of them.
One night while they were asleep, that person arranged that someone should torch their house and that would be the end of them. However, for some reason the master of the house woke up in middle of the night and couldn’t continue to sleep, and then he suddenly smelled the fire, woke up his family and they all were able to escape the inferno.
My parents then told me, the family was asleep, but unzer basheifer – Hashem, doesn’t sleep. So too Hashem should protect His nation from those who wish to torch us.
For the next two years until the trial began and throughout the trial, HaRav Yosef Yitzchok had numerous conversations and correspondence with him, clarifying pertinent question about Jewish traditions and laws, helping him winning the case.
Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com
