Marrying In
When I was visiting Strasbourg, France, a Jew came to the Beit Hakeneset to receive my blessing. When I discovered that he lived with a gentile woman, I asked, “How do you have the audacity to ask for a berachah when you live with a gentile woman, rachmana litzlan? How in the world do you think that the merit of my forefathers will stand by you?!”
But the man adamantly demanded a berachah, and would not take no for an answer. I blessed him in the following manner, “May Hashem help you to forget all about this gentile woman and find a fine, Jewish wife.”
That very week, he became acquainted with a Jewish woman and immediately left his gentile companion. He married the Jewish woman according to Jewish tradition.
When he came to me afterward with the good news, I had something enlightening to share with him. “You must know,” I began, “that it wasn’t my blessing which urged you to choose the right path, but your inner goodwill to help yourself and marry appropriately. Your inner desire for goodness prompted you to abandon your gentile companion and marry a kosher Jewish daughter. Hashem helped you realize your own inner desire.”
