A brocho for long life received from a tzaddik
is precious. After all, "A tzaddik decrees and G-d
fulfills!" But can one always be certain that the blessing
will be fulfilled?
This story surfaced when the great Dayan Yisroel Yaakov
Fisher zt"l, Av Beis Din of the Eidah HaChareidis in
Jerusalem, passed away February 2003, two years ago.
Chaim Trauber,* a respected Jew and worshipper at the Zichron
Moshe shul in Jerusalem, already had a chazoko,
a longstanding tradition, to purchase Maftir Yona
every Yom Kippur for mincha. The gabbai knew
that he was willing to pay ten per cent more than any other
bidder in order that this be reserved for him.
One Yom Kippur, Reb Chaim, already in his late seventies,
made his way to the bimah to recite the blessing
before the haftorah. To his embarrassment and dismay,
another Jew had been called up and was about to make the
blessing. When the gabbai caught sight of Reb Chaim,
his face paled. How could he have forgotten! Reb Chaim
expected him to reserve the haftorah for him and now
he had sold it to someone else!
Unaware of the mistake, Chaim stood at the side of the
bimah, waiting for the other gentleman to move over
and let him say the blessing as he did every year.
The gabbai was at a loss! How should he handle this
sticky situation? He hastily approached the Dayan, Harav
Yisroel Yackov Fisher, and asked him what to do.
Rav Fisher stood up from his chair and walked slowly over to
the two men. He tried to persuade Reb Chaim to forgo the
aliya this one time. The gabbai had
unfortunately made a mistake, he explained, and now someone
else had already purchased it.
"Next year you will get this aliya," he promised. By
this time Reb Chaim felt extremely humiliated and embarrassed
being the center of attraction and the cause for the Rav to
get up from his place. His face a deep shade of red, he
remained silent, unable to reply. Rav Fisher blessed him
that next year he would get this aliya in good health
and the shul would even grant it to him as
compensation for his embarrassment.
R' Chaim returned to his place, still feeling uncomfortable
about the incident but consoled with the blessing he had
received.
Two months later Chaim passed away.
When Rav Yisroel Yackov came to comfort the family during the
shiva, they expressed their surprise at his
unfulfilled Yom Kippur blessing. "Didn't you promise...?"
they asked.
Harav Fisher looked at the sons and answered, "Yes, I
promised. I even repeated my blessing to your father. But he
did not answer `Amen'."
*
Two angels accompany a person home from shul every
Shabbos night, a good angel and a bad one . When the person
arrives home and finds the candles lit, the table set, and
the house in order, the good angel says: "So may it be next
Shabbos, too." The bad angel answers `Amen' against his
will.
If the candles are not lit and the table is not set, the bad
angel says: "So may it be next Shabbos too," and the good
angel answers `Amen' against his will (Shabbos
119).
Why do the angels have to answer `Amen' against their
will?
Because even the blessing of an angel cannot be fulfilled
unless an `Amen' completes it!
How does one short three-lettered word ensure fulfillment of
a brocho?
In the new book Just One Word now available at your
local bookstore, you will discover the secret of this
precious, powerful word - `Amen.' These heartwarming and
inspiring stories involving both ordinary people and our
Torah giants of past and present will leave you inspired long
after you've put the book down.
*name has been changed
