The Rabbi Got Up to Speak—But Said Nothing at All

Rabbi Chizkiyahu Yosef Karlenshtein shared a moving story:
Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik zt"l of Switzerland was once invited to speak as an honored guest at a major international Torah convention in the United States.

He stepped up to the podium, paused for a moment, and then spoke with quiet honesty:

“A week ago, I was asked to deliver an important speech at this event. But I was busy and didn’t have time to prepare it properly, so I asked to delay my arrival. I thought to myself: I’ll have five or six hours on the plane—plenty of time to sit quietly and prepare. With Hashem’s help, I’ll use the flight to gather my thoughts in peace.

“But Hashem had other plans. The whole flight, a fellow Jew sat next to me and spoke to me the entire time. I couldn’t focus. My mind and heart were elsewhere. And now, I stand here before you… completely unprepared.”

Then he fell silent.

Three… four… maybe five full moments passed. The room was completely still. Hundreds of people sat frozen, eyes on the podium. The great Rabbi Moshe, a leader of the generation, stood there with nothing to say. He looked embarrassed—and somehow, that silence said more than any speech.

Finally, he continued:

“My dear friends… Every Jew wants to grow. Who doesn’t want to learn more Torah? To give more tzedakah? To do more acts of kindness? But we’re busy. There’s family, work, shopping, bills, everyday life. So we tell ourselves: In a few days, next week, when things calm down, then I’ll start. Then I’ll get serious about what really matters.

“But look at me,” he said gently. “I told myself I’d prepare later. And in the end—I didn’t. I came here with nothing. Imagine how ashamed we’ll feel in the World to Come, when we look back and realize how much time we let slip away… waiting for the perfect moment.”

With that, he stepped down.

People who were there say those few short words—delivered with honesty and humility—left a deeper impression than a thousand polished speeches ever could.

The message? Don’t wait. Don’t delay. Start now. Do the things that truly matter while you still can.