Parshas Lech Lecha 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
ויאמר אברם הן לי לא נתתה זרע והנה בן ביתי יורש אתי ... (טו-ג)
The Ohr Hachaim neighborhood was established in 5745/1985, by noted educator and master of chessed R’ Moshe Pardo zt”l, founder of the Ohr Hachaim network of yeshivos and many other educational institutions in Bnei Brak. R’ Moshe often traveled the world to raise funds for his institution’s massive budget. One such trip took him to a remote American city devoid of Torah-observant Jews, where a meeting had been arranged months in advance with a wealthy philanthropist.
As the meeting approached, R’ Moshe suddenly came down with a fever and felt very ill. Though he was determined to proceed, his attendant noticed the severity of his condition and insisted that he lie down and cancel the meeting. R’ Moshe reluctantly agreed, wondering why Hashem had brought him all this way just to lie in bed. But his deep bitachon quickly reminded him: “This is not a coincidence. Hashem has a reason.” The meeting with the wealthy philanthropist was called off.
That night, a local doctor was called in to examine him. As R’ Moshe removed his long rabbinic jacket, the doctor noticed his tzitzis and exclaimed, “People still wear these? I thought they were long forgotten.” R’ Moshe, with his heavy Hebrew accent, replied, “Doctor, come to Israel and you’ll see hundreds of thousands of people wearing tzitzis. Even here in America, there are hundreds of thousands, even millions. I run a school with over 1,000 female students whose dream is to marry men who wear tzitzis. Many come from homes where their fathers didn’t wear them, yet now it is their greatest aspiration.”
R’ Moshe invited the doctor to visit his school if he ever came to Israel and the doctor said he would take it into consideration.
After the exam, the doctor gave his diagnosis and wrote a prescription. R’ Moshe tried to pay, but the doctor refused. Still determined, R’ Moshe placed money on the desk along with a pair of Tefillin he carried for moments like this - for Jews who were open to reconnecting. He always took an extra pair of Tefillin on his journeys just in case he came across a person like the good doctor - a well-meaning Jew who doesn’t know much and is ready to strap them on once he’s informed about it.
He pulled out the Tefillin from their bag, showed the doctor the straps, and assisted in placing them on his hand and head. The doctor was thrilled to put them on and he even recited a few prayers that R’ Moshe helped him say. Though the original meeting couldn’t be rescheduled, R’ Moshe left the city with a sense of comfort: a fellow Jew had put on Tefillin because of his visit.
Months later, R’ Moshe’s office phone rang. “I’d like to check out your institution,” said the voice on the other line. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” R’ Moshe had no idea who the person on the other end was, but if he insisted, R’ Moshe wasn’t going to deny him the opportunity. Half an hour later, an extravagant vehicle pulled up, a chauffeur jumped out, opened the back door, and who stepped out? The doctor who had treated R’ Moshe in that isolated city in America.
R’ Moshe greeted him warmly, thanked him again for helping him out when he needed him, and they proceeded to tour the school. The doctor was visibly moved, showing the same emotion and thirst for Yiddishkeit he had shown during their first meeting months earlier. After the tour, he asked to speak to R’ Moshe privately.
“I thought your school had maybe 100 students,” the doctor admitted. “But now I see the empire you’ve built.” Then, with deep emotion, he continued. “I’ve been childless all my life with no close inheritors. I’m going to leave all my possessions to your school - my considerable life’s savings. I’ll contact my lawyer to finalize the will. You will be the beneficiary.”
R’ Moshe almost swooned when he heard the doctor’s words. In a voice charged with great emotion, he responded, “My friend, do you realize the power of what you’ve done? The Mishnah teaches that money doesn’t accompany a person to the World to Come. But now, you’ve transformed the material into eternity. What a deal!”
Reflecting on the experience, R’ Moshe said, “At first, I thought I was sent there just to help a Yid put on Tefillin. Now I see it brought in the greatest endowment the school has ever received - more than tenfold what I expected from the canceled meeting.” Hashem had turned what seemed like a failure into the greatest success. (Reprinted from the Zichru Toras Moshe – Shabbos Table Stories)