In the midst of the busy Pesach preparations, a moving scene unfolded as Maran, Posek Hador, Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch shlit”a personally distributed Kimcha D’Pischa funds to 180 avreichim of the Kollel Teshuvos Vehanhagos under his leadership.

The distribution marked the opening stage of a much broader annual initiative spearheaded by Rav Sternbuch, which provides significant support to hundreds of avreichim, rabbonim, and morei tzedek affiliated with the Eidah Chareidis, as well as rabbanim of his yeshiva in Beit Shemesh. In addition, substantial funds are directed to numerous tzedakah organizations throughout Eretz Yisroel and abroad.

What stood out most at the event was Rav Sternbuch’s insistence on personally handing each envelope to the avreichim. Despite his demanding schedule, which includes ongoing communal responsibilities and outreach to major Torah philanthropists, the Posek Hador chose to perform the distribution himself.

Earlier, Rav Sternbuch delivered a halachic discourse marking the end of the zman. When attendees questioned why he did not delegate the task, he shared a powerful story he had heard decades earlier from the gaon Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky zt”l, illustrating the depth and precision with which mitzvos are judged.

Rav Abramsky related that during a visit to Vilna, he saw a record maintained by the Chevra Kadisha recounting a story involving the wife of the Vilna Gaon. She and a friend had once agreed that whichever of them would pass away first would return in a dream to reveal insights about the World of Truth.

After her friend’s passing, she appeared in a dream and conveyed a striking message. While she could not reveal the workings of the Next World, she was permitted to share one detail. She recalled an incident where they had encountered a poor man across the street. Instead of crossing over to him, she motioned for him to come to her to receive tzedakah. In Shamayim, she said, she was held accountable for not making the extra effort to approach the needy person herself, a subtle but significant deficiency in the performance of the mitzvah.

The story was later recorded at the directive of the Vilna Gaon, so that future generations would appreciate the depth of Heavenly judgment. Rav Abramsky added that from that point on, he would personally deliver tzedakah payments rather than sending a messenger, ensuring full participation in the mitzvah.

The message conveyed by Rav Sternbuch was clear: when it comes to tzedakah, every action matters, and personal effort is irreplaceable. His decision to distribute the funds himself was not merely symbolic, but a deliberate fulfillment of the mitzvah in its most complete form.

Additional distributions are expected in the coming days as part of the broader Kimcha D’Pischa campaign, including “Tamchin D’Oraisa” support for hundreds of rabbonim and poskim, further allocations to his Beit Shemesh yeshiva, and continued assistance to numerous charitable funds.