The Asthma Stopped in Seconds—Here’s Why

Rabbi Reuven Karlinstein, a beloved Jewish storyteller known as a Maggid, once shared a beautiful story he heard firsthand from a yeshiva student.

It happened in one of the yeshivas in Israel. The Rosh Yeshiva—the head of the school—suffered from asthma. It wasn’t uncommon for him to suddenly struggle to breathe right in the middle of giving a Torah class. In those moments, his airways would tighten so badly he couldn’t go on. He’d quietly step outside to the open balcony, hoping that the fresh Jerusalem air would help. Sometimes it took him ten, even fifteen minutes just to catch his breath.

His students knew the drill. They never panicked. When he stepped out, they waited quietly and continued learning, knowing he’d return when he could.

But one day, something very different happened. In the middle of a class, the Rosh Yeshiva again had trouble breathing and went outside as usual. But this time, he came back after just thirty seconds—calm, breathing normally, and ready to continue teaching. His students were stunned. That had never happened before. Still, out of respect, no one said a word.

Later, a few close students worked up the courage to ask: “Rebbi, today was really something—we’ve never seen anything like it. What happened? How did you come back so fast?”

The Rabbi smiled warmly. “I’ll tell you what happened,” he said. “I stepped out to breathe. It was really hard—I could barely get any air. But then, I looked across and saw something that filled my heart with happiness. A young man we all know—he’s a father of a beautiful, growing family—was outside working on an addition to his apartment. He was building a room and a sukkah—such a respectable addition. And when I saw it, something inside me lit up. I felt so happy for him. I thought, ‘Baruch Hashem, look at that—he’s building!’ My heart swelled with joy, and suddenly, I could breathe. I inhaled deeply, and just like that, the tightness was gone.”

“That’s what happened, dear students,” he said simply.

Rabbi Karlinstein, after sharing this moment, sighed deeply. “May Hashem help the Jewish people,” he said. “So often we see people bringing their neighbors to court over small things. The judge asks, ‘What’s bothering you? His balcony is fifteen meters from yours. You still have air. What’s the issue?’”

And what does the neighbor say? “It’s not the air—it ruins my view! I can’t stand it!”

Rabbi Karlinstein added gently, “I won’t speak badly of fellow Jews here in the synagogue—God forbid. So let’s just say... let’s hope we don’t see lawsuits like these among our people.”

And with that, the Rabbi ended his story—leaving behind a lesson about the power of seeing others with a good eye, having a generous heart, and how sometimes, joy for someone else can heal more than we imagine.