Road of Return - Monthly Gedolim Stories
Another year has begun and with it a new round of Gedolim Stories.
For the month of Tishrei, to begin the fifth (!) year of Gedolim Stories, enjoy this heartwarming story, first published in Rabbi Paysach Krohn's שליט"א's book, "Illuminations of the Maggid," about the well-known educator, Rabbi Yehuda Zakutinsky. It is all about the concept of the Hebrew word VeNasnu (ונתנו) being a palindrome (a word that is read the same both forwards and backwards) to symbolize how a kindness never goes unrewarded by Hashem. A kindness will always find its way to back to you.
I hope you enjoy this story and that you have a wonderful next half of Yom Tov,
Your friend,
Yitzy Schweitzer
Rabbi Yehuda Zakutinsky is renowned in the world of kiruv (outreach). He heads the Hashevaynu organisation whose mission is to follow up with the hundreds of young men and women who discover their Jewish identity through other outreach programmes or Yeshivos. With its wide array of programmes, Hashevaynu helps these individuals maintain their excitement, enthusiasm, and joy as they slowly but surely continue to learn more about their heritage and grow in the understanding.
Some years ago, a prominent Rosh Yeshiva called Rabbi Zakutinsky and asked if he could do him a huge favour. "I have a nineteen-year-old son," the Rosh Yeshiva explained, "who is going off the derech. He claims he is turned off by religion. My wife and I have tried everything, but we have made no progress with him. He is now attending college, and I know you have a connection with many college kids. Can you go there and strike up a conversation with him and perhaps begin learning with him?"
Rabbi Zakutinsky listened intently to the anguish of the Rosh Yeshiva and replied, "Of course I'll go. I'll do everything I can to reach him. I never say no when someone asks me to do something like this. Before I go, though, I'd like to explain why I never say no."
In his usual courteous manner, Rabbi Zakutinsky asked the Rosh Yeshiva if he wished to hear a story to which he responded in the affirmative.
Rabbi Zakutinsky related that he had grown up in New Haven, Connecticut, and had attended the local day school there. Shortly after his Bar Mitzvah, his parents sent him to an out-of-town Yeshiva that had a high school and beis medrash. For Yehuda, the adjustment was far from easy. The dress code was different. The level of learning was also on a much higher wavelength. Despite studying on his own to try and catch up, he soon realised that he needed help. He wanted to keep up with the class, but he was struggling. He began thinking that perhaps the Yeshiva was not for him.
One Shabbos afternoon, he went over to an older boy in the beis medrash and sheepishly asked him if he could help him out by learning together for a while. The older boy responded that while he would like to help Yehuda, he was waiting for his chavrusa so they could learn together. He could not afford to push off the learning to later.
Yehuda said he understood. He was embarrassed to approach boys he didn't know, but he tried anyway. The second also had an excuse; he, too, learned with someone else and was waiting for his chavrusa to come.
The humiliating rejection happened a third and then a fourth time. Before he approached the fifth bochur, he made up his mind. If he was rejected again, that was it. He would leave the Yeshiva on Sunday.
Hesitantly, he began speaking to the fifth boy who was immersed in his studies. As Yehuda began talking, the bochur turned to him and listened intently. When Yehuda made his request, the boy got up, smiled, put his arm around Yehuda's shoulder, and said, "Of course, I'll learn with you. You want to make progress; that's wonderful. I'll try to help you."
"That bachur and I learned so delightfully for the next half-hour," Rabbi Zakutinsky continued. "The next Shabbos, he asked me if I would like to learn with him again. I was so taken by his attitude that I made up my mind right there and then that if anyone would ever ask me to learn with them I would never say no."
Rabbi Zakutinsky finished off his story, saying, "We learned so beautifully again that Shabbos. And Rosh Yeshiva, do you know who that bachur was? That was you! And I never forgot it."
The Rosh Yeshiva was absolutely flabbergasted. "I don't recall that at all," he said in wonderment.
"How could you remember it?" Rabbi Zakutinsky asked. "You probably helped dozens of boys. There was no way you could remember me, but you were my inspiration. So of course I'll contact your son."
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