One Warm Word That Changed a Life

Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein shares a powerful story in his book We Must Praise. He writes: "A Torah scholar sent me a letter telling about a friend of his—a ba’al teshuva (someone who returned to Torah observance)—who said that his first step toward Judaism came from one religious neighbor in his apartment building. This neighbor never gave up the opportunity to greet him with a warm 'Shalom' and a radiant smile."

The man lived in Haifa. His religious neighbor, who lived on the top floor, was the only observant Jew in the entire building. Their regular meeting took place each morning: the neighbor would be returning from shul (synagogue) after morning prayers, and the man would be heading out to work. Each time they crossed paths, the religious neighbor would greet him with a warm smile and a sincere "Shalom."

"Every day," he recalled, "I was amazed by how happy and kind his greeting was. What struck me even more was that none of the other neighbors ever greeted me like that. No one on my floor, or even those living closer to my door, ever said 'Shalom' to me—or even smiled. Only he did."

"At a certain point," he continued, "I started thinking about it more deeply. I felt there must be something greater behind this. A person who can greet others with such warmth and joy every single day must have a deep inner richness. He was clearly sharing something special with me—something that came from a meaningful and joyful life."

"Over time, I came to a clear conclusion: if I wanted to truly live, I needed to return to a life of Torah. And so I did."

The power of one word: Let’s think for a moment—how much did it cost that religious Jew to say "Shalom" every morning? Did he have to spend his savings? Of course not. All it took was a little attention and a genuine heart. And what came from it? An entire family—parents, children, and future generations—returned to a life of Torah and closeness to Hashem.

Even when people say goodbye in another language instead of Shalom, something special is lost. Shalom is not just a greeting—it means peace, blessing, and wholeness. What greater word could we possibly use?

Rabbi Zilberstein added, "The Chatam Sofer taught that someone who avoids using the holy language (Hebrew) might not be deserving of it, because this language doesn’t allow itself to be used casually. He found a hint to this idea in the verse (Bereishit / Genesis 45:12): 'For it is my mouth that speaks to you.'"

Sometimes, all it takes is one sincere word, said from the heart, to awaken a soul and change a life forever.