I Will Come with Love for Every Jew

Rabbi Yitzchak Sheiner, Rosh Yeshiva of Kamenitz and a member of the Council of Torah Sages, shared a heartwarming story about his great-grandfather, the great Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz.

“Grandfather would often say,” Rabbi Sheiner began, “‘A person should prepare for what he will bring with him after 120 years—to stand before the heavenly court with something unique that he dedicated his life to.’”

One day, while sitting with his students, Rabbi Baruch Ber spoke openly about this. “When I come to the World of Truth,” he said, “I don’t know what strong merit I’ll be able to bring. Torah learning? I’ll meet Rabbi Chaim of Brisk there—how could I compare? Depth in learning? I’ll see Rabbi Akiva Eiger—what am I next to him? Middot—refined character? Rabbi Yisrael Salanter will be there, and I’ll feel so small in his presence... I’ll want to hide! What am I compared to these great scholars?”

Rabbi Baruch Ber paused for a few moments in deep thought. Then he lifted his head and said, “But I do know one thing: I’ll come with a strong claim—I loved every Jew. With all my soul, with all my heart, without limit.”

He added, “Every Jew I saw, even from far away on the street, I would whisper a brachah in my heart—‘may blessing be upon him.’”

Rebbetzin Sheiner, of blessed memory, once shared a touching story that showed just how deep that love really went.

“One day, a handyman came to the house to fix something. He was wearing a work hat, like many laborers wore back then. Rabbi Baruch Ber assumed the man was not Jewish. When the job was done and the worker was about to leave, he said ‘Good day’ in Polish. My grandfather didn’t speak much Polish, just two words for the sake of peace—‘hello’ and ‘good day.’ So he replied politely, ‘Good day.’

“But then the worker said, ‘Rabbi! Why don’t you speak to me in Yiddish? I only spoke Polish out of habit—but I’m Jewish, and I understand Yiddish.’

“Rabbi Baruch Ber turned pale. He had mistaken a fellow Jew for a non-Jew. He was so shaken that he immediately hugged the man, kissed him, and asked for forgiveness again and again. He couldn’t calm down. He felt terrible for even thinking that a Jew might not be Jewish.

“He said to the man, ‘Please, sit down. I want to explain something to you—the difference between a Jew and a non-Jew.’ And for nearly half an hour, he sat and shared words of love and value, explaining how dear and precious every Jew is to Hashem, the Creator of the world.”

That was how our grandfather loved every Jew—with his whole heart.

(From Sivrei Maranan, Parshat Vayetzei, courtesy of the Dirshu website)