The Midrash (quoted by Rashi) tells us that when Yitzchok married Rivka, he brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, “for as long as Sarah was alive, a candle burned from one Shabbos eve to the next, a blessing was found in the dough, and a cloud was attached to the tent. When she died, these things ceased, and when Rivka arrived, they resumed.”
This is a story about a Holocaust survivor who endured the horrors of war while losing everything she held dear in her life. Her family and friends were gone, and as she attempted to pick up the pieces of her broken life after liberation, her faith and Jewish observance seemed to have gone along with them. Growing up in a religious household, lighting Shabbos candles was a special part of her week, but now, with no faith to keep her going, she could not bring herself to do it. She stopped observing Shabbos and did not light Shabbos candles.
With time, however, her attitude mellowed, and she became inspired to review her decision against mitzvah observance. With the help of caring individuals, she returned to the fold and resumed a religious lifestyle, as she had done in her teen years. She became a shomeres Shabbos and looked forward to lighting Shabbos candles again.
However, she recalled from her youth a halachah she had learned: that if a woman fails to light Shabbos candles for whatever reason, she is required to light an extra candle the following Friday evening. She missed so many Shabbosos, she thought to herself, tears streaming down her eyes. How can I just simply light two candles now? Based on simple calculations, she reckoned she would need a hundred candles each week to make up for the time she missed. How will she be able to do that?
She conveyed her concerns to a confidant, and that person said that he knew just the right person to consult. He arranged a time for her to speak with R’ Yisroel Zev Gustman zt”l, Rosh Yeshivah of Netzach Yisroel-Rameilles in Jerusalem, and discuss the situation with him. He was a man who understood the plight of downtrodden individuals and always seemed to have the right words of chizuk to say to them. The woman did as he said and called the yeshivah building. R’ Gustman happened to be talking to a few of his talmidim in the office when he received the call from this new ba’alas teshuvah.
Between her tears, the woman described her plight and her recent rejuvenation with mitzvah observance. She wanted to know what she should do with regard to lighting Shabbos candles. Is it true that she needs to light many candles to make up for what she had missed? Without hesitation, R’ Gustman responded with gentle authority. He told her, “When you light candles before Shabbos, be sure to put a penny aside for tzedakah each and every week.”
The woman was silent. Is that all, she inquired, and the Rosh Yeshivah assured her that all she needed to do was put aside a penny a week, no more, no less. Sounding relieved, the woman thanked the Rosh Yeshivah and hung up.
The talmidim present were quite surprised at their Rebbi’s response. They, too, were familiar with the halachah that if a woman fails to light Shabbos candles, she is supposed to add a candle the following Shabbos. This woman missed many Shabbos lightings; hence, she should have to light many candles every Shabbos. Or at least something comparable.
They asked R’ Gustman, and he replied with the sensitivity of a true Gadol B’Yisroel. “I received a tradition from my Rebbi, HaGaon R’ Chaim Ozer (Grodzenski zt”l, Chief Rabbi and Av Beis Din of Vilna), that when it comes to all matters of people seeking to do teshuvah, the rulings of a posek in this world are also accepted in the heavenly courts. Now, as a dayan (judge) from the Beis Din in Vilna, I have the authority to issue a ruling that will hopefully inspire mercy in heaven for this woman.” The talmidim listened earnestly, but they did not understand.
R’ Gustman continued. “This woman went through incomparable suffering and torture during the Second World War. If I tell her to light a hundred-plus candles every Friday night, I will be compounding the pain of her suffering with the guilt of her past sins of not lighting Shabbos candles. How can I do that to this woman in pain? I want to alleviate her pain. I am certain that the heavenly court will accept my ruling that she put a penny in the pushka before she lights, and that will be sufficient.”
Rabbi Dovid Hoffman is the author of the popular “Torah Tavlin” book series, filled with stories, wit and hundreds of divrei Torah, including the brand new “Torah Tavlin Yamim Noraim” in stores everywhere. You’ll love this popular series. Also look for his book, “Heroes of Spirit,” containing one hundred fascinating stories on the Holocaust. They are fantastic gifts, available in all Judaica bookstores and online at http://israelbookshoppublications.com. To receive Rabbi Hoffman’s weekly “Torah Tavlin” sheet on the parsha, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
