“I feel guilty that I can’t be giving the people the proper chizuk they came for”
Rav Binyamin Finkel, the widely revered mashgiach of Yeshivas Mir in Yerushalayim, was in America last week on behalf of the yeshivah. After a tiring day of meetings, Rav Finkel was scheduled to have kabbalat kahal — public reception hours — in the home of Rabbi David Haber in Deal, New Jersey. There he remained for hours, listening, sympathizing, and blessing the scores of Jews seeking an audience with the tzaddik. Only later did they learn of an exchange that had taken place between Rav Finkel and Rabbi Haber.
“At one point, the Mashgiach turned to me and asked if we could resume kabbalat kahal the next night,” Rabbi Haber shared. “I hesitated for a moment because so many people were waiting. Noting my apprehension, the Mashgiach smiled reassuringly. ‘Of course, I’ll continue to see all the people waiting now,’ he said. ‘The only reason I wanted to postpone was because I feel that I’m not at full strength. I feel guilty that I can’t be giving the people the proper chizuk they came for.’”
Rabbi Haber assured the Mashgiach that the people were perfectly content to receive his brachah, weary as he was. And so the blessings continued to flow, pouring forth from the man whose only concern is for others.
We all remember where we were when we heard the news: Trump has been shot. For a moment our hearts stopped. World history would have been altered forever. We’re living in hectic, chaotic times, and we hope im yirtzeh Hashem soon, things will become calmer. But why was the former president saved? What saved him? He was standing at the podium, speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania, when suddenly shots were fired. A madman 130 yards away shot at Trump; had the president not turned his face the slightest bit, the bullet that nicked his ear would have killed him instantly. One turn of the head can alter not only your personal future but the trajectory of the entire world.
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