Warm Words That Saved a Soul

A remarkable story about the holy Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum known as the Divrei Yoel teaches us the powerful impact of a kind word. With gentle care, a simple conversation can change a person’s path and even save a life.

This story was shared by a rabbi who personally heard it from the man who lived it. As a young man, his connection to Judaism was crumbling. Spiritually, he was in a dark place, and with time, things only got worse.

He used to go to Shabbat prayers at the Satmar Rebbe’s beit midrash (study hall). But instead of joining the tefillah (prayer) inside, he sat outside near the entrance with other young men who weren’t interested in davening. They spent the time chatting and joking around.

People walking by would call tthem out, trying to shake them out of their behavior but it didn’t help. Eventually, the young man stopped coming altogether. He stayed home and distanced himself even more.

Then one day, something unexpected happened. The Rebbe himself asked the young man to take a walk with him. As they strolled together, the Rebbe gently asked what the young man hoped to do in life. He replied honestly, “I want to be a truck driver.”

The Rebbe responded warmly: “Back in Europe, being a wagon driver was considered a low and difficult job. But today, many good and honest people from our community work in this field. It’s a respectable way to make a living. And there’s no reason to shave your beard or sidelocks for it.”

That simple, accepting response opened the young man’s heart.

Years later, he described that walk as a turning point: “The Rebbe spoke to me with such warmth and closeness. He walked with me for a long time, and we spoke about all kinds of things. Then he said, ‘I want to ask one thing of you. Please don’t say no.’ I asked, ‘What is it?’ And he said, ‘Promise me that you’ll come pray with us in the study hall every Shabbat.’”

The young man hesitated. “I told him that people yell at me during prayers, so I don’t feel welcome. The Rebbe said, ‘From now on, I’ll make sure they don’t yell at you. Just keep coming.’ He spoke with such love that I couldn’t say no. I promised and I kept my word.”

Week after week, he came back to shul. At first, nothing much changed. He still sat in the entranceway with the same group of friends, talking and laughing through the service. Sometimes, they didn’t even realize when prayers started or ended. But the very fact that he kept showing up as the Rebbe had asked began to have a quiet influence.

And then came the turning point that would change everything.

With deep emotion, he shared, “When the Rebbe spoke to me, I was already at rock bottom. I was about to marry a non-Jewish woman, Hashem yishmor (God protect us). But something stopped me. I thought: ‘How can I do this? I daven every Shabbat in the Rebbe’s study hall. How can I betray that? How can I face the Rebbe?’ And that thought saved me.”

It was the Rebbe’s kindness and his willingness to walk, listen, and speak gently that planted the seeds of change. That warmth kept this young man tethered to something deeper, even when he felt lost.

Eventually, he made a full return to Torah observance. He built a strong Jewish home and raised generations of children and grandchildren who live lives of Torah and mitzvot (commandments). All of it thanks to one compassionate moment, one walk, one kind voice.

This story originally appeared in Bedidi Hava Uvda, courtesy of the Dirshu website.