One of the great Sephardic Chachamim of the previous generation was Chacham Rabbeinu Yehudah Tzadka zt”l, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Porat Yosef in Jerusalem. Rav Yehudah was a tzaddik who was characterized by his love of Torah and talmidei chachamim, as well as his desire and alacrity to perform mitzvos. He lived simply, did not indulge in any extravagances, and encouraged his students to be content without luxuries.
He maintained a tremendous level of emunah and bitachon in Hashem. Rav Yehudah placed his full trust in the Almighty, and there was nothing too big or too small in which he did not see the Yad Hashem actively helping him.
It is told that one winter, the furnace in the Tzadka home finally gave out, and it was clear that a new system would be necessary to ward off the bitterness of the cold Jerusalem winters. Rav Yehudah was walking to yeshivah one day, and he happened to pass an electrical appliance store. He paused and looked inside. Indeed, they sold furnaces, and he was ready to walk inside and see how much it cost. But then he stopped and realized that no matter what it cost, he couldn’t pay for it, since he had no money on him at all. He stood in the street facing the store and thought about what to do.
Suddenly, a man approached him and extended his hand. “Rabbeinu, shalom aleichem. I am so happy to meet you here at this time. Honestly, I just happened to be in Jerusalem today and was walking by when I noticed the Rav. It is truly my honor and good fortune. Please allow me to repay a debt from quite some time ago.” Rav Yehudah recognized the man but could not remember any debt that was owed to him by the man.
When Rav Yehudah asked about it, the man replied that a number of years ago, after his father had passed away, Rav Tzadka traveled all the way from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to attend the funeral. He delivered a moving and emotional hesped for the man’s father, who was an old acquaintance of the Rav, and it was a great honor that he came.
“At the time,” said the man, “I thought about how nice it was that the Rav came and how I wanted to pay him back for his expenses. Additionally, I wanted to show my appreciation by giving the Rav a little extra. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances and the timing, I forgot, and the Rav went back to Jerusalem. I had totally forgotten about it until this moment, when I happened to come to Jerusalem, and what do you know — I meet the Rav in the street!”
The man pulled a wad of bills from his pocket and counted off a considerable amount. He handed it to Rav Tzadka and apologized to him again from the bottom of his heart for taking so long to pay off his debt. Rav Yehudah smiled and thanked the man for his graciousness and generosity. Although under normal circumstances, he would not take money or gifts from anyone, in this situation, he recognized the Yad Hashem and how much it meant to the man from Tel Aviv.
The man walked away, and Rav Yehudah uttered a prayer of deep thanks to the Almighty for always seeing to his needs. With the cash in his hand, he walked into the appliance store and inquired about purchasing a furnace. The store owner told him the price, and Rav Yehudah realized that although the man had given him quite a sum of cash, he was still short a few hundred shekels. He still did not have enough money to buy the furnace, and with a pleasant smile, he thanked the store owner and walked back outside into the cold Jerusalem street.
Once again, Rav Yehudah stood facing the store and mulled over his options. And just like the first time, the same man from Tel Aviv came around the corner and walked right over to him. “Rabbeinu, again I must apologize. I only gave you the money for coming and delivering the hesped. I forgot to give you money for your travel expenses. Here is the rest of the money that I owe the Rav. Thank you again.” The man handed him another set of bills and walked away.
When Rav Tzadka looked down, he saw that the man had added a few hundred shekels to his “debt” — as it turned out, the exact amount required to purchase the furnace. He smiled, thanked Hashem, and walked back into the store.
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.