The Chazon Ish’s Lesson: Hashem Is with You Always

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Shoshan, in a heartfelt conversation with the Dirshu website, explains how a Jew should live each day: “In the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim (a classic Jewish law book), the very first section teaches us how a Jew should approach life,” Rabbi Shoshan begins.

The Rema (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) writes: “I place Hashem before me always.” This is a foundational principle in the Torah and in the ways of righteous people who walk with Hashem. Because the way a person acts, even in private, is different when he knows he is standing before a great king.

When someone is in the presence of a king, every movement, every word is thought through. But when he is alone at home, he acts more casually. The same is true with our relationship with Hashem.

The Vilna Gaon explains a short line in this section: “The virtues of the righteous who walk before Hashem”—just like it says about Noach, “Noach walked with Hashem.” Noach constantly lived with the awareness of Hashem. The same with Chanoch: “And Chanoch walked with Hashem.” He, too, lived in close connection with his Creator. The same was true of our holy forefathers. The Vilna Gaon ends by saying, “This is the entire virtue of the righteous.” They live their lives together with Hashem.

Rabbi Shoshan then tells a beautiful story about Rabbi Elazar Tzadok Turchin, of blessed memory. “As a young man, Rabbi Turchin learned at the Chevron Yeshiva and had a close relationship with the Chazon Ish, one of the great Torah leaders of the generation. One day, he went to speak with the Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak, as he often did. When he entered the home, the Chazon Ish looked at him and said, ‘Leizer, Leizer, do you really think that someone takes off his kippah (yarmulke) all at once? No—it's a slow process. Only at the end does one physically remove the kippah from his head.’”

Rabbi Turchin was shaken. Was the Chazon Ish suggesting that he was drifting away from Torah, G-d forbid? But he was too overwhelmed to ask what the rabbi meant.

He left the house heartbroken and confused, his mind racing with questions: “What did the Chazon Ish mean? What was he hinting at?” He spent four hours traveling from Bnei Brak to Jerusalem, through Tel Aviv, and all the while, he kept thinking.

When he returned to the yeshiva, a friend saw the pain in his face and asked, “Leizer, why do you look so upset?” He told him what had happened. The friend asked, “Why did you just leave like that? Why didn’t you ask the Chazon Ish what he meant? Go back! Ask him what he was trying to tell you.”

Leizer realized he was right. So, he turned around and traveled another four hours back to Bnei Brak. When he arrived at the Chazon Ish’s home, the rabbi’s eyes lit up. “Leizerkeh, where did you run off to? I wanted to tell you something and then you disappeared!”

In tears, the young man asked, “What did the rabbi mean by those words?”

“G-d forbid,” said the Chazon Ish warmly, “I never suspected you of anything. I know you—you're a sincere and upright Jew. I just wanted to explain something to you.”

He continued, “What does a good Jew look like? He prays in the morning, with deep concentration during the Amidah (standing prayer). Then he rolls up his tefillin (phylacteries), walks to the aron kodesh (ark where the Torah is kept), kisses the curtain, and pours out his heart to Hashem. He may even say a few extra chapters of Tehillim (Psalms), asking for help and blessing in his work that day. Before leaving the synagogue, he again kisses the curtain. It’s as if he’s saying goodbye to Hashem, who ‘stays’ in the synagogue until Mincha (the afternoon prayer). Then he goes to work, talks business, behaves like a merchant, and meets Hashem again at Mincha. And so it continues.”

“But that’s not the right way to serve Hashem,” the Chazon Ish said with passion. “A Jew must take the Master of the Universe with him everywhere!”

Rabbi Shoshan explained further. “Let’s say he goes to buy shoes. He looks for a good pair that fits, is comfortable, and reasonably priced. This can take time, and he needs siyata dishmaya—help from Heaven. So he pauses, and speaks in his own words to Hashem. ‘Master of the Universe, help me find the right shoes quickly, let the merchandise be good, let the price be fair, may the seller not deceive me.’ Because he didn’t leave Hashem in the synagogue—he brought Him along.”

“A Jew must train himself to speak to Hashem all day long—not only during prayer. A person who only ‘visits’ Hashem during prayer is serving by habit. That’s the person who will, over time, remove his kippah…”

“At every step, a Jew is connected to his Father in Heaven. He turns to Him, speaks to Him in his own language. If he faces struggles or tests, he knows he has Someone to turn to.”

“People often think that only Breslov chassidim (followers of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov) talk to Hashem like this—but they are mistaken. Anyone who lives with Hashem naturally speaks to Him whenever it’s needed.”

There’s a story of a chassid who once stood next to his Rebbe during the Amidah prayer and was deeply moved by the heartfelt way the Rebbe prayed. Right before finishing, the chassid heard the Rebbe say in Yiddish: “Ribono Shel Olam (Master of the Universe), please, don’t let the maid leave. Don’t let the maid leave…”

The chassid was amazed. He thought the Rebbe must be referring to the spiritual “maid” in heaven—perhaps the angels or divine forces that guard the Jewish people. He excitedly ran to tell the other chassidim what he had witnessed.

One of them approached the Rebbe and asked: “Rebbe, what did you mean about the maid not leaving? Were you speaking about the Shechinah (Divine Presence) or some deeper mystical idea?”

The Rebbe looked surprised. “What are you talking about? My wife told me yesterday that our housemaid—the one who cleans and helps in the house—is about to leave. She’s used to the house and understands our routine, and my wife is very troubled about replacing her. So I prayed sincerely: ‘Master of the Universe, please, let the maid stay!’”

This is how we serve Hashem—with sincerity, especially in the smallest things. Hashem is with us!

Even for something as tiny as a virus or a stubbed toe, turn to the One who created the world and say: “Hashem, it hurts. Please take the pain away.”

Mothers can whisper prayers while washing dishes. “Ribono Shel Olam, You are my loving Father. Please, let my child come home from school safely.”

Because Hashem isn’t just in the synagogue—He’s with us every step of the way.