In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Ha’azinu, the pasuk tells us that the words of the Torah are compared to rain. Why is this so? What is the connection between Torah and rain? I would like to share with you a beautiful answer that I saw in sefer Aleinu Leshabi’ach by Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein shlita: Rav Simcha Bunim of P’shis’cha used to give the following reason why the words of Torah are compared to rain: When rain falls, its effects are not seen immediately. Only after the sun peeks out from behind the clouds and shines into the earth do we see the plants beginning to blossom.
Similarly, R’ Simcha Bunim explains: When a person learns Torah or hears Torah from his teacher, the effect of the Torah’s words on him is usually not immediately apparent. Nevertheless, it is certain that the Torah will have a tremendous effect on him at some point. We must never give up! Keep on learning! It’s important to note that we should not take learning Torah for granted; rather, we should eagerly welcome all opportunities to learn. Through learning Torah one of the many things that we can gain is an incredible relationship with Hashem that is precious beyond measure!
Now, I would like to share with you an amazing story about the power of learning Torah and how it saved someone’s life: Rav Zalman Grossman lived in Boro Park, and on Friday nights he would stay up the entire night learning Torah. One Shabbos a Jew from Yerushalayim was staying in Boro Park. After his seudah (meal) he went to bed but spent hours tossing and turning without falling asleep. He tried as he might, but he just couldn’t fall asleep. Eventually, this man got dressed and took a nice long walk around the entire neighborhood.
When this man, who had heard of Rav Zalman realized he was close to Rav Zaman’s house, he decided to go in and enjoy the sounds of his learning. This man knocked on Rav Zalman’s home but there was no answer. He knocked again but there was silence.
Rav Zalman never sleeps on Shabbos night – what is going on? Putting his ear to the door, this man heard a faint sound of painful groaning. Right away this man ran down to the street and saw a police car passing by. He waved the car to a halting stop and told the officer what he had heard through the door.
The police officer ran to Rav Zalman’s home and he broke down the door to the house. When the officer walked in, he saw Rav Zalman writhing on the floor with severe stomach pains. An ambulance was called, and the paramedics rushed Rav Zalman to the hospital right away. At the hospital, the doctors diagnosed Rav Zalman with a burst appendix. After the emergency surgery, which Baruch Hashem was successful, the doctors told Rav Zalman that if he had come just a bit later, they would not have been able to save his life.
Rav Zalman always said that his custom of learning all Shabbos night saved him from certain death because if it wasn’t his usual practice, no one would have dreamt of visiting him at such an hour. Learning Torah saved his life! The amazing power of the Torah! (A Treasury of Stories) Have a great Shabbos and have an inspiring Yom Kippur full of growth and meaning!
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Rabbi Yosi Zajac is a Chaplain at various maximum and medium facilities in the Northeastern United States. His responsibilities include suicide prevention, death notifications, weekly Judaism classes, as well as assisting inmates with their rehabilitation through counseling. Chaplain Yosi's extensive Rabbinical experiences in both his professional and personal life, have enabled him to educate, guide, and inspire Jews and non-Jews from all walks of life.
In this episode, Rabbi Zajac and Aryeh talk about what goes on behind prison walls as well as the mental health challenges facing many people today.
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