The ultimate Accountant compensated him in kind

Living Higher

Earlier this month, Tiferes Devorah L’Kallah, a hachnassas kallah organization servicing kallahs in the greater Lakewood area, held its annual fundraising drive. One of the organization’s directors asked Mr. Avi Klugman, a well-known businessman involved in commercial finance, to take on a goal for the campaign. At first, he hesitated. Fundraising is never a comfortable task in the best of times, and the sluggish economy and the beginning of the fiscal year only make it a harder time to ask people to give.

Still, he acquiesced to their request, going out of his own comfort zone for another. For almost a full week, Mr. Klugman put his business on hold while he made calls to acquaintances, crafted incentives, and reached out to family and friends. The campaign took on momentum, and by the time the week had ended, he had raised the mindboggling sum of $63,000 —far surpassing his original goal. When the campaign ended on Thursday evening, he was elated, though he resigned himself to the fact that his success had come at a cost to his personal parnassah. He’d been so preoccupied with soliciting donations that he’d neglected his own business that week.

When he finally sat down with his bookkeeper on Friday morning, he was in for a surprise: An unexpected commission, to the tune of $58,000, had been wired in from a previous deal that he’d worked on. Mr. Klugman may have not put in the traditional hishtadlus to his business that week, instead devoting energies to Klal Yisrael’s kallahs, but the ultimate Accountant compensated him in kind just the same.

The Lens

Last week Rav Reuven Elbaz, rosh yeshivah of the Ohr HaChaim network of mosdos, visited Teveria to commemorate the yahrtzeit of his father. While he was there, chassidim of the local Karlin-Stolin kehillah asked him to visit their new shul, an invitation Rav Elbaz happily accepted.

When he arrived, Rav Elbaz looked around the beautiful edifice and emotionally recited the brachah of matziv gevul almanah (literally, “He Who establishes the borders of the widow”), which the Gemara (Berachos 58b) says to recite when one sees settled Jewish communities.

Rav Elbaz then explained to those present that as a child, he would often pass this very building — but back then, the building hosted a disco club where the city’s youth would waste nights away. Rav Elbaz said he was once moved to tears as a young man by the sight of the building, in one of Eretz Yisrael’s holiest cities, and he davened that Hashem lead the people inside to teshuvah.

Upon seeing the site transformed into a place of kedushah, Rav Elbaz thanked Hashem, wondrously repeating “wai, wai, Ben Porat Yosef,” the expression used by many Sephardim to ward off ayin hara.

Happening In… Las Vegas, Nevada

Monday, January 28, found world-renowned philanthropist Mr. Ralph Herzka in Las Vegas, Nevada for a business conference. The Hebrew date was the 28th of Teves, the 17th yahrtzeit of Hagaon Rav Shmuel Berenbaum ztz”l, the rosh yeshivah of the Mirrer Yeshiva of Brooklyn, who was Mr. Herzka’s beloved rebbi.

Wishing to do something special to honor his rebbi’s legacy, Mr Herzka arranged visits to the local Jewish schools and shared stories about his legendary rosh yeshivah with the students. The sight of children, bochurim, and Bais Yaakov girls growing in their Torah knowledge and yiras Shamayim, even in a city so distant from central Jewish metropolises, was in itself a testament to the wonders of the Torah’s power — a theme that Rav Shmuel lived with and promoted his entire life.

One particularly poignant — and somewhat humorous — tale was of the time that Mr. Herzka encountered Rav Shmuel and his rebbetzin aboard a flight to Eretz Yisrael. Mr. Herzka was seated in business class while Rav Shmuel was sitting in economy. Feeling uncomfortable, he approached Rav Shmuel, offering to switch his seat.

“Rosh Yeshivah,” he said. “I feel bad. Why should I be in business while the Rosh Yeshivah is in economy?”

Rav Shmuel didn’t share his remorse. “My wife can take your seat,” he offered, “and you can sit next to me and we’ll learn the whole night!”

While on that flight, Rav Shmuel made an observation. “The Vilna Gaon wanted so badly to go to Eretz Yisrael,” he said. “We don’t realize how fortunate we are that we’re able to just get on a plane and go. There might come a day that we won’t be able to.”

“When Covid hit and we couldn’t fly to Eretz Yisrael,” Mr. Hertzka said, “the rosh yeshivah’s words kept ringing in my ears.”

After that trip, Mr. Herzka made a commitment: He would always ensure that Rav Shmuel flew business class. Rav Shmuel accepted the offer, but only with a condition. “If you buy me a ticket for business class,” he told his talmid, “you must give me an equal amount of money to give to kollel yungeleit in Eretz Yisrael.”

“I once sent a fairly significant sum for him to distribute,” Mr. Herzka continued. “He later called me and said ‘I want you to know — it feels good to be a gvir!”

The Jewish students in Las Vegas, Nevada, learned some valuable lessons that day about a great tzaddik and his fervent love for Torah.

And they learned how this passion has survived his passing, living on in his students who recognize that the joys of Torah outshine all material bounty.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1048)