Stirring Up Ashdod: "He Came in a Dream and Spoke of His Punishment for Talking During 'Lecha Dodi'"

Recently, Rabbi Meir Aker, chairman of the 'Baneinu' organization, traveled to Ashdod to attend a bar mitzvah of one of the orphaned children under his care. Upon arrival, he saw a man in his fifties joyfully circulating the hall, distributing refreshments and welcoming guests—even though he was not hosting the celebration.

The sight aroused his curiosity.

"I wanted to know who this man was, so closely involved in the celebration and ensuring everything was perfect," Rabbi Aker recalled, as reported in 'Kinyan Torah' magazine's Nakdishach issue.

The Rabbi approached his bar mitzvah student and asked about the man's identity. "Oh, he's someone who was very close to my late father," the bar mitzvah boy said excitedly, suggesting the Rabbi speak with him, saying, "He has an amazing story about his connection with my father."

"We Permitted Ourselves on Matters Not Ruled in the Shulchan Aruch"

Hearing this, the Rabbi was intrigued.

"Approach him and ask him to tell you about his connection with my father," urged the orphan.

"I did as he suggested," the Rabbi recalled, though the man was deeply engaged in joyous activities with guests, promising to share the story after the celebration.

And so it was, and at the end of the celebration, the 'host' finally sat down to tell the story. "I was a good friend of the boy's father," he began. "We used to learn together, pray the Shabbat prayers carefully avoiding talking during the prayer."

But, and here his voice shook a bit, "During the 'Lecha Dodi' hymn, we would sit each week and chat about this and that. We allowed ourselves this because it was not explicitly forbidden in the Shulchan Aruch as part of 'talking during prayer.'"

"He Begged Me to Do Everything I Could for the Elevation of His Soul"

The days passed until one day the friend was informed that the boy's father had fallen ill. "His condition worsened until he was called to the yeshiva in heaven and passed away," he recounted. "Then, one night, he appeared to me in a dream, his hands and face covered in leprosy. I was shocked to see him like this and asked in the dream why it had occurred. He told me it was because he used to talk to me during 'Lecha Dodi'. He begged me to do everything I could for the elevation of his soul," the man recounted.

In the morning, when he awoke from the dream, he remembered every detail and thought about what he could do to complete his friend's correction. "I decided that from now on, every Friday evening, I would go from synagogue to synagogue to raise awareness among the Jewish people about the gravity of speaking during prayer in the house of worship—no matter how small the conversation. I decided to share my dream and what I heard from my friend, the deceased boy's father, so it would serve their merit and elevate his soul."

And so he did.

Each Friday evening, he began walking to synagogues and study houses in his area, telling his story. Those who heard were startled and committed themselves to refraining from talking in the synagogue during prayer, from small talk to major discussions.

In his heart, the man hoped for a sign that this commitment was indeed helping his friend in heaven.

And then, half a year later, one night, the sign came. "Once again, I saw my friend in my dream, but this time his face shone brightly, and the severe leprosy was gone. He thanked me for my kindness and told me he had already reached rest and ease in the world to come, thanks to my efforts in awakening Jews to not talk in the synagogue during prayer," the man concluded his story.

(The story is brought to you courtesy of the 'Dirshu' website)