Weekly Story: Kol Dichfin – Everyone Is Welcomed

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

As it is a few weeks before pesach, and the question of having guests is on the minds of many (which should be discussed with your doctor etc.). However, for even those who have received the vaccine etc., the question may still be on their mind. After all what can one seder accomplish?

To address that point, I am posting the following story, I recently heard from Rabbi Chaim Mentz, shliach of the Rebbe in Bel-Air California.

It was one erev Pesach in the late 60’s, and our neighbor Rabbi Kasriel Kastel of Lubavitch Youth in Brooklyn, called our house. “Rabbi Mentz,” he said to my father, someone just called if we can put him up for the two sedorim, can he stay by you?”

“Yes, it will be our pleasure,” my father replied. And a half hour before Pesach, a Jew with long hair got off his motorcycle and rang our bell. As he entered the house, we could smell that he was on the road for a few days and my father, gave him a clean towel and informed him where the shower was.

While he was in the shower, we went to shul, and to our shock as we were returning home there was my mother standing on the street corner.

“What happened,” my father inquired somewhat concerned?

“Our guest is a drug addict,” she replied, “and we can’t have him in the house. It is just too dangerous. You have to send him off.”

“But tonight we say kol dichfin – whoever is hungry is invited,” my father replied, “I never heard that kol means everyone, besides the one I don’t want. We invite everyone, and our guest is included.”

“But Binyomin, he is dangerous,” my mother said. “However, if you insist to allow him to stay, it is your responsibility to remain up and be on guard the entire night.”

“Yes,” replied my father, “I will have to watch him.”

Entering the house, my father wished our guest a good yom tov, and made some small talk. Then pointing to the containers, he asked, “Is that your medications?”

No, replied our guest. “I sometimes take them to relax.”

In his gentle voice, my father said, “Tonight is passover, and as you noticed some cabinets are covered or taped, as we worked very hard to take out all chometz – leavened items, from our house. It is possible that some of those items you have are also chometz, so if you don’t mind, especially as you said you don’t need them, can you please place them in the seat bucket of your motorcycle. This way in case they ae leavened they won’t be in our house.”

“Sure, no problem,” he replied and he took all of his pills and placed them in his motorcycle.

This individual was extremely inquisitive, and at the seder he peppered my father with questions about the seder, pesach and Judaism in general, with the conversation going on into the wee hours of the morning, way after the meal had concluded (after all my father promised he will stay awake). The following morning, when we went to shul and when we returned, our guest was in a deep sleep and he slept almost the entire day.

During the second seder, he once again asked relevant and irrelevant questions until late in the morning and slept the entire day. When he awoke in the late afternoon, my father informed him that shortly he will be saying the Havdalah, and at that time the holiday comes to an end. He remained until after Havdalah and then thanked us and off he went on his motorcycle.

Some eight to ten years later, I was walking with my father on Kingston Avenue, when a Jew with a kapota and long beard stops us and greets us in a friendly fashion, “Rabbi Mentz, Sholom Aleichem, how are you?”

“Boruch Hashem,” my father replied, “and who are you?” His facial expression showing he has no clue who this individual is, and was somewhat surprised that the person knows him and greeted him like an old acquaintance or friend.

“You don’t recognize me?” the person replied. “I was your guest almost ten years ago, for the first two nights of Pesach. Just then I arrived on a motorcycle.”

“Yes, yes, I recall that Pesach,” my father responded.

“Well now, thanks to you and some other wonderful individuals who I had the honor of meeting,” the person happily said, “I am religious and I am a sofer (scribe) in Eretz Yisroel.”

So if you want to see the power of one encounter, here it is. Yes, you might not see the benefits of it for a while, or you may never realize what you accomplished. But a good deed produces positive fruit and results. However, you don’t have to wait for the seder to make that connection and inspiration, one phone call, one compliment, one act of friendship, can make the difference.

Do yours today and everyday!

This week’s story is l’zechus the immediate and complete refuah of my sister Chaya Rivkah bas Cheyena, and all those who are in need of a brocha.

Also, a hearty mazal tov to Faiga and Isaac Mintz on their marriage. May it be a binyan adei ad, and may they be blessed with dor yeshorim yevoiraich.

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