This afternoon I heard a shiur where the lecturer related an anecdote about a former Chevrom Rosh Yeshiva. In the 1950s, he had traveled to America to collect money for his yeshiva and a wealthy man loaned him the princely sum of 20,000$, to be repaid at the end of 20 years.
The years passed and the rabbi traveled to America to repay the loan. He rang the bell of the lender, but, to his consternation, realized that the wealthy man no longer lived at the residence. After repeated attempts to trace the man's wheareabouts, the rabbi was able to find the man living alone and destitute. The rabbi explained the purpose of his visit and how he wished to repay the loan. The formerly wealthy man told the rabbi, "everything has been taken away from me. Now you came to take away the zechut of supporting a Torah institution?". The man declined to accept the money as he wished to hold on to the merit of the mitzvah. He might have lost all his worldly possessions, but he certainly didn't want to lose the positive balance of his heavenly bank account.
Rabbi Wallerstein recently spoke about trying to collect money for his institution in these times of financial stress. He stated that when people give money for tzedakah, that money can never be lost and is credited to them for eternity.
The YeshivaWorld website posted the following message. "This Shabbos, Parshas Beshalach / Parshas HaMan, has been set aside by our Rabbanim nationwide to make an Emergency Parnassa Appeal. Unemployment is across the board: Agudath Israel, The O-U, Young Israel, and other major Jewish organizations have all united to participate with the Emergency Parnassa Initiative to help Klal Yisrael."
Let us reach out to give to those less fortunate. And remember, whatever we give, we can never lose.
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