Good Neighbor Policy - Monthly Gedolim Stories

 When people think of Rav Matisyahu Salomon ztl, the legendary late Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewoods Beth Medrash Gevoha, (or BMG) especially if they knew him personally, they may think of his wisdom, his brilliance as a speaker, or even perhaps his accent. But I think most people would mention the depth of his sensitivity and his ability to make everyone he met feel special.

This story is case in point. I first read it as a young boy in "Maggid Stories for Children," by Chaviva Krohn Pfeiffer (the daughter of Rabbi Paysach Krohn שליט"א), before reading it again in his own book "Reflections of the Maggid".

I hope you enjoy it.

With blessings,

Your friend,

Yitzy Schweitzer

Good Neighbor Policy - Monthly Gedolim Stories

Shortly after the time that Rav Matisyahu and his family came to Lakewood, they moved into a home on Sixth Street, which was only but a block away from the Yeshiva. They were neighbours with a family, the Epsteins, with whom they quickly developed a beautiful mutual friendship. The families both had children around the same age, and whenever there was a simcha by one of them, it was a simcha by the other, a mirror image of splendid joy and happiness for each other.

In the autumn of 1999, one of Rav Matisyahu's daughters became engaged. There was unimaginable euphoria in the Salomon home and pure, authentic excitement in the Epstein home as the girls looked forward to dancing at their dear friends wedding.

Tragically, this wasn't to be. A few weeks later, just days before Rosh Hashana, the Salomons beloved neighbour Rabbi Shimon Epstein a"h passed away suddenly. Rabbi Epstein was a talmid Chatham, a model and a shochet, and was known in Lakewood for the incredible amount of chessed and charitable acts he performed, many of which done in secretive and sensitive ways. Having lived in Lakewood for more than thirty-five years, his funeral was attended by many, many people, including many who had moved to other communities.

The Epstein family was plunged into mourning, and, as mourners, the children would not be allowed to attend festive gatherings such weddings for the next twelve months, which, of course, put attending the Salomon wedding, out of the equation. This only added to the family's pain and added much anguish to the already terrible situation.

During the weeks that followed, the Salomons made a conscious effort not to talk about the wedding plans within earshot of the Epsteins, but of course the wedding day moved forward, coming closer and closer. It would be a day of great celebration in Lakewood, befitting a simcha in the Mashgiachs family.

On the day of the wedding the Epstein daughters went to work and came home as they usually did, around 6 o'clock. When they arrived home, they found a note on their table, "To our dear friends, the Epsteins: Please do not prepare dinner tonight. Your dinner will be served to all of you shortly. We will miss you at the wedding but we wanted you to share in our simchah and so the caterers will come to your home with the wedding meal. May we share future simchahs, The Salomons."

Within an hour a truck arrived from the wedding hall in Lakewood, with the full course meal including desert for every member of the Epstein family, and if that wasn't enough, as the Epsteins were enjoying this unexpected meal someone came and brought them printouts of the pictures that had just been taken at the wedding. Rav Matisyahu had arranged for someone to take pictures of the badekken and chuppah, run with the finished film to a local photography store that developed pictures within the hour and then deliver the processed pictures to the Epsteins. Thus, as they were enjoying the wedding meal they could now enjoy the photos, too!

That kindness is so pure, so authentic, yet original and honest.