“The answer is: He was an adam gadol, and on an adam gadol we don’t ask any questions!”
One day I received a call to drive Rav Yaakov to Brooklyn, where he would deliver a hesped for an elderly gadol who had lived many years earlier in America, but had spent the last decades of his life living in Eretz Yisrael. I was to drive him from Monsey to Brooklyn and then back to Monsey.
When I entered the house, it was apparent that the Rosh Yeshivah (who was well into his eighties at the time) was not feeling well at all. He had a fever and a bad cold and was very weak.
It was very cold outside, and I tried to deter him from going, saying, “The Rosh Yeshivah has to take care of his health, Klal Yisrael needs the Rosh Yeshivah to be healthy.”
I offered to drive to Brooklyn to give the message that the Rosh Yeshivah wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be able to make it, but Rav Yaakov wouldn’t hear of it. Even when the Rebbetzin voiced her concern that he wasn’t well and was jeopardizing his health, he still insisted on making the trip.
Create a free account to keep reading.
