The Lesson at the Door
by Dovid Zaklikowski for Hasidic Archives
One of the supporters of the newly founded Tomchei Tmimim in the town of Lubavitch had a fiery Chassidic soul. But when he arrived in the small town, he expected the townspeople and guests to show him respect.
The seat he chose in the study hall was his. He expected the leading Chassidic figures to treat him with respect and to meet his demands for accommodations. He would even enter the office of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, the yeshivah’s administrator and future Lubavitcher Rebbe, without knocking, whether or not a meeting was taking place.
The man was tolerated, but in many ways, he was pitied. The unstable economy meant his wealth could be wiped away at any moment. Would he be able to survive a serious financial challenge?
When his son reached the age to enroll in the yeshivah, the intelligent teenager easily passed the entrance exam. Like his father, he felt superior to his fellow students. He believed that his wealth deserved everyone’s respect and that his intelligence entitled him to have his opinions accepted as though they had come directly from Sinai.
One day, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok told him to return his study volume, effectively expelling him from the yeshivah. The young man believed that if he left, he would never be allowed to return to his studies. Although he could no longer attend the study sessions, he decided he could still stand at the entrance and listen.
Ashamed to ask his father for money to buy food, and unable to eat with the other students, he rationed what he had, buying just enough to survive and continue studying.
It was difficult and embarrassing for the young man, but over the months, he came to understand what mattered in life. The students at the yeshivah soon noticed a great change in his personality. They found him pleasant to talk with and to debate Talmudic topics.
When his father arrived some three months later, he was shocked to see how much weight his son had lost. He barged into Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok’s office and demanded to know why there was not enough food for all the students. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok chose not to respond to the father. Instead, he called in the student and gave him a note allowing him to return to his regular studies at the yeshivah.
A few days later, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok explained to the father what had happened: his son had withstood the challenge through personal self-sacrifice and had become a different person. “He is now not only enrolled in the yeshivah,” he said, “but has also become integrated into the life of a Lubavitch chassid. He will lead a productive life that will give you much pleasure.”
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