Behar - Bechukosai: 5783 - Rabbi Shimon Zonnenfeld with a special story about Ahavas Yisroel, especially for the days of Sefiras HaOmer. At the conclusion of Rabbi Betzalel Mizrachi's Daf Yomi class in Nachlah. Watch:

00:00 Speaker 1 Please.

00:02 Speaker 2 We’re in the days of the Omer, and we still need to strengthen ourselves in Ahavas Yisroel. I heard an amazing story that shows just how far Ahavas Yisroel can go. There was a Jewish man who, unfortunately, had no children. He traveled to the Chiddushei HaRim to ask for a blessing. Let’s take this story to heart. He traveled a long way to get there. When he arrived, a long line of people was waiting to see the Rebbe. He had no choice but to sit and wait. Then he noticed a wealthy man arrive in a magnificent carriage. The gabbai, who was letting people in, saw him and took him in ahead of the line. This upset him terribly. He had come from far away, and his heart was aching. He was sitting there waiting—why should this man go in first just because he had money? He was so upset that he went over to the gabbai and began shouting at him. He shouted and shouted, and grew so angry that he couldn’t restrain himself and slapped him across the face.

01:16 Speaker 1 Who did he slap?

01:18 Speaker 2 The gabbai. There was a huge commotion. Someone had slapped the gabbai across the face! Hearing the noise, the Rebbe came out of his room and asked what had happened. They told him that this man had slapped the gabbai in front of everyone. The Rebbe stood in the doorway and said he would not see anyone until the man apologized to the gabbai. The man had no choice, so he went over to the gabbai, began to apologize, and asked his forgiveness.

01:54 Speaker 1 Was it the wealthy man who hit him?

01:57 Speaker 2 It was a wealthy man. He asked the gabbai’s forgiveness, explaining the state he had been in. The gabbai told him, “I don’t forgive you.” He asked a second time, then a third, but the gabbai still would not forgive him. The Rebbe was standing by the door, and the gabbai saw that he would not go back in until the man had asked his forgiveness. So the gabbai declared aloud, “I won’t forgive you until the Rebbe promises you that you’ll have children.”

02:24 Speaker 1 Wow!

02:25 Speaker 2 When the Rebbe heard that, it touched his heart deeply, and he blessed the man with children. The man was indeed blessed with children afterward. But look at the gabbai’s Ahavas Yisroel: he would not forgive the man until the Rebbe promised him children. And that blessing truly came to pass. We see how great Ahavas Yisroel is. Have a good and peaceful Shabbos.

02:48 Speaker 1 Amen, yes.