The Rosh Yeshiva Came Anyway: A Lesson in Compassion and Torah

An unforgettable story took place with a student at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Just two weeks before the end of the zman (yeshiva semester), he approached the Rosh Yeshiva, the great Torah leader Rabbi Natan Tzvi Finkel and asked for permission to fly home to the U.S. His grandfather’s health was bad, and the student explained tearfully, “I’m very close with my grandfather. I want to be with him, even if just for a short time. There are only two weeks left until the end of the semester. Please let me go home early.”

Rabbi Natan Tzvi gently replied, “The yeshiva’s schedule is sacred. As hard as this is, visiting your grandfather is not enough reason to miss the final part of the zman. And if I permit you to leave, it may lead other students to feel they can leave early too, which could weaken the structure we’ve built. Stay and keep learning with strength. In that merit, may Hashem send a complete healing to your grandfather.” The Rosh Yeshiva held the student’s hand warmly as he spoke.

The student left Rabbi Natan Tzvi’s home. But instead of returning to the beit midrash (study hall), he went straight to the airport. He decided he had to go see his beloved grandfather. From the plane, he called home to say he’d be landing in a few hours.

As soon as the plane touched down in America, he quickly turned on his phone. A series of urgent voicemail messages greeted him. Family members were trying to reach him. With a sinking feeling, he called his mother only to hear heartbreaking news. “You won’t get to see Grandpa,” she said softly. “He passed away just a few hours ago. I was trying to reach you because he asked to be buried in Jerusalem. You, his beloved grandson, the one who learns Torah in the Holy City, will need to arrange everything for the funeral and burial.”

Exhausted and grieving, the student now had to turn around and fly right back to Israel. On the return flight, he kept seeing Rabbi Natan Tzvi’s kind face in his mind, the warmth with which he’d explained the importance of keeping to the yeshiva’s schedule. The student’s heart ached. He had not followed his rebbe’s words.

The funeral took place with only a small group of people present. Then, suddenly, a hush swept through the crowd. To everyone’s surprise and deep emotion, Rabbi Natan Tzvi Finkel himself appeared. Despite his own serious illness and deep exhaustion, the Rosh Yeshiva had come to accompany the grandfather to his final resting place and to be there for his student.

After the burial, Rabbi Natan Tzvi turned to the student. The young man was overwhelmed and his heart was pounding, and he felt deeply ashamed. But the Rosh Yeshiva came close, looked him in the eye with great love, and gently whispered, “You’ve just spent a full day flying back and forth. You must be weak and hungry. I asked my family to prepare a good, hot meal for you. Please come home with me to rest and eat.”

The student couldn’t hold back his tears.

Even though the student had gone against his instructions, Rabbi Natan Tzvi had come to the funeral, comforted him like a father, and cared for him with such kindness and grace.

Later, the student shared: “All the way to the Rosh Yeshiva’s house and throughout the meal, he didn’t say a single word of criticism. But that was the best mussar (ethics lesson) I’ve ever received. His actions spoke louder than any words. Rabbi Natan Tzvi himself was like a living book of Jewish values.”

Today, the 11th of Cheshvan, marks 13 years since the passing of Rabbi Natan Tzvi Finkel. He served as the beloved Rosh Yeshiva of Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem and was a member of the Council of Torah Sages of Degel HaTorah. At just 46 years old, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Yet even with his physical challenges, he remained completely devoted to his thousands of students, guiding them with love, strength, and deep faith.