T he day after Yom Kippur Zevi Brickstein (name changed) arrived in shul for the last Minchah one of over 100 bochurim — besides the regulars — who crowded into the beis medrash.

Many of the bochurim wore their hats perched so precariously on their heads that you wondered if by the first shuckle the hat would fly off.

Others had their fedora so firmly attached you imagined the hat was an additional body part never to be removed not even to shower.

The boys davened with a fervor that befits a ben Torah; which included a long Shemoneh Esreh with intensity and passion.

I am always proud and pleased when the yeshivah bochurim and kollel men populate my shul for bein hazmanim; they add an aura of pristine kedushah that elevates the spiritual level of the davening. The around-the-clock minyanim are packed and we keep the upstairs beis medrash davening-free from 8 a.m. onward and well stocked with seforim and coffee as the boys fill the beis medrash with the sanctified sweet melodies of Torah learning. Most nod a hello to me and many come over to say shalom aleichem.

Zevi Brickstein however was different.

There could be well over 150 people packed into the downstairs beis medrash but as soon as Minchah ended and I sat down to begin the shiur that bridges the last Minchah and the first Maariv there was always a sort of “Yetzias Mitzrayim ” as only a minyan or so of the regulars remained for the shiur.

Mind you this was no offense to me nor did I feel any insult at all. There were minyanim for Maariv until midnight and many yeshivah men preferred a later zeman for Maariv.

Nevertheless without fail Zevi Brickstein remained to listen and participate in my shiur every single day.

On the last day before Rosh Chodesh he came over after Maariv to ask for my brachah and to say goodbye.

I asked “Zevi you know how much I appreciate your coming to the shiur but I’m curious. Why do you come? None of your peers join you so why do you stay?”

Zevi smiled. “My grandfather had been a rav in the Bronx and he lived with us when I was younger. One day when I was seven we went together to Minchah. After Minchah he took my hand and led me to the front of the shul where the rav of the shul was about to begin his shiur. I noticed that most of the bochurim had left and wondered why we were staying.

“ ‘Zeidy ’ I asked him ‘why do we have to stay for the shiur if hardly anyone else is staying?’

“ ‘Zevi ’ he told me ‘when I was a rav in the Bronx especially in the last years when we barely had a minyan I was so overjoyed when bochurim would return and strengthen the minyanim. But most like today would sit in the back after Minchah and not join the shiur. They would just learn on their own.’

“ ‘One day one of my balabatim a very simple man asked me “Rabbi why should I send my son to yeshivah if when he gets older he doesn’t even listen to the rabbi’s shiur?” I tried to explain to the man that no disrespect was intended; however I could tell that he was put off by the bochurims’ behavior.

“ ‘Zevi ’ my zeidy told me ‘the rav will surely understand if we have to leave. However he will also be very honored if we stay and you never know what impact our staying will have on others. Whenever you have the opportunity to make someone feel good even if you have a good excuse why you think you can’t try to do the chesed. Even if that person is the rabbi of a big shul he will appreciate it. And that is why we are going to the rav’s shiur.’ ”

Zevi looked at me. “My zeidy is the reason I stay for your shiur.”

Listen my son to your father’s instruction... (Mishlei 1:8) (Originally featured in Mishpacha Issue 687)