Striking Sincere Incentives
Once a month, thousands of Jews from all over France gather together to hear words of Torah.
On the date of one such discourse, there were heavy strikes in public transportation throughout France. I was afraid that many people would be unable to attend the lecture which I was scheduled to deliver and considered postponing it to a later date.
But my son, Rabbi Moshe, discouraged me from doing this. Even if many would be unable to attend, due to the lack of transportation, it would be a shame for the few who traveled by private car or came by foot to be deprived of hearing the word of the Living G-d.
I accepted his words, and kept the original date.
As I entered the auditorium, my heart filled with joy. In spite of the strike, thousands of fellow Jews managed to come. The hall was filled to capacity. Many reported that they had walked two hours or longer. What self-sacrifice to hear words of Torah!
Hashem proved to me that when one concerns himself with the honor of Torah, He makes things work out.
Rav Elchadad, shlita, who participated in this event, later told me that when he arrived earlier that day, there were only eight people in attendance. Suddenly, the throngs began to arrive, and within half an hour, the place was packed.
This was all in the merit of doing Hashem’s will with simplicity and faith, with no ulterior motives.
All of my intentions were for Hashem’s sake alone, in order to increase His glory in the world. When He observed my worry that many would lose out on this opportunity, He fulfilled my desire and did not allow a transportation strike to block the way to Torah study. He helped these people reach their destination.
