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Weekly Chasidic Story #651 (s5770-36 / 4 Sivan 5770) With Only a Single Page "Let me know when it will be," Rabbi Moshe Feinstein instructed. "I wish to take part in this joyous occasion!" Connection: Seasonal - Shavuot, learning Torah
With Only a Single Page
A young American discovered his glorious heritage and became an observant Jew. He began to learn Torah and to fulfill mitzvot, and even when he returned to his parents' home he continued to observe G-d's Torah and to learn it very diligently. His elder father was very distant from traditional Judaism and had no idea what it was all about. He was already retired from his work at that time, and wandered around the house with nothing to do. Watching his son poring over his Talmud, the father was very impressed. His son's life seemed to be so full of content and values. Finally, one day he approached his son. "Teach me a page of what you're learning," he said. "This will be very hard for you," the son replied. "In order to understand Talmud, you first need to know Hebrew, and you don't even know the aleph-beit. And there's a second language involved: Aramaic." But his father was determined. In spite of everything, he asked his son to teach him at least one page of Talmud. The son began to teach him. However, his visit was a short one and they could only continue during his infrequent subsequent visits. In this way, it took a full year of learning together before they finished the page. When they were done, the father cried jubilantly, "I want to make a party. I've finished learning a whole page of Talmud!" "There is a custom of making a party for the completion of an entire tractate of the Talmud, called a siyum," the son admitted, "but not for a single page." But the father was insistent. He would throw his party. At a loss, the son went to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein to ask if such a thing -- a siyum on one page of Talmud -- was acceptable. "Make a siyum," Rabbi Feinstein instructed. Then he added, "Let me know when it will be. I wish to take part in this joyous occasion!" And so it was that a siyum was made on a single page of Talmud learned by a man with his son over the course of a full year. Rabbi Feinstein attended the siyum, heaping praise on the elderly father who had not let any difficulty get in the way of achieving his goal. The next morning, the old man did not wake up from his sleep. He had died in the night -- the type of death they call "the kiss of G-d." Rabbi Feinstein came to the funeral and delivered a eulogy. In it he declared, "The Talmud records that there are those who purchase their World-to-come in a single hour. Now we see it is possible to do so with a single page." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Connection: seasonal - the Festival of Shavuot and the Giving of the Torah Biographical note:
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became
rabbi of Luban while young and remained there till 1937. After that he immigrated
with his family to the United States, to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. There
he became Rosh HaYeshivah of Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim, which became
world-famous because of his presence. He became the most important halachic
authority of his generation, and his rulings were accepted worldwide. They have
been published in a multi-volume collection called Igros Moshe.
Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.