Stories Of Greatness

Before one of his overseas trips, a woman asked Rabbi Yerachmiel Milstein, a lecturer in Aish HaTorah’s Discovery Program, if he could take a suitcase to Eretz Yisrael for her. Reb Yerachmiel was happy to do the favor, and she was appreciative of his graciousness. Reb Yerachmiel made it to the airport in time. After take-off, he prepared for some of his upcoming meetings at Aish HaTorah, and then sat back and reflected on the possibility of visiting his grandmother’s kever.

After the Mabul (Flood) wiped out mankind and civilization as it were, Hashem spoke to Noach and commanded him to rebuild the world once more. Noach was not simply a “survivor”; he was charged with an awesome task, a responsibility like no other. He must go forth and repopulate, replant, resettle – and basically restart life on this earth.

Hashem sent three messengers to Avraham Avinu. Each of the mal’achim was tasked with a unique assignment. The angel Michael came with the tidings that Sarah will have a son. Gavriel was assigned the task of destroying Sodom. Rafael came to heal Avraham and aid his recovery from circumcision. He was then to proceed and rescue Lot. Rafael’s dual responsibilities present a problem. We know that an individual angel can only be assigned a single mission. Rashi explains that both of Rafael’s tasks involved salvation. Because of this common feature, a single angel could perform both tasks.

One of the most famous midrashim on the Torah concerns the Arbaah Minim that we take on Sukkos:

A number of years ago, Rabbi Hertzel Borochov, a Lubavitcher chasid in Rechovot, in the Central District of Israel, visited an auto body shop near his home to have his car serviced. The owner of the shop was a man by the name of Tziyon Kedoshim, a Sephardic Jew, who was nominally observant.

The problems facing a fellow Jew are our problems, and the tears streaming down their faces are just as real to us as they are to them. If we are looking for ways to repent our sins with a complete t’shuvah and herald the holy day of Yom Kippur when we reunite with our Father in Heaven, this is where we must begin. We reach upwards by reaching outwards.