Taking the Time to Save a Life
One time, as soon as I finished my Torah shiur, I hurried to leave the Beit Hamidrash, as I had an engagement somewhere else. On my way out, I noticed that a man was making his way toward me, intent on reaching me before I reached the door. I stopped in my tracks and took him to the side, where I asked him what he wanted. He said that he had lost all his money, and, with it, all interest in life. This evening, he averred, he would just put an end to it all. I was shaken by his words. “If this is your desire, why did you make such an effort to reach me?” I asked.
“I decided that I would end my life on a good note, with words of Torah in my mind. This way, Hashem won’t be angry by my act of suicide.”
Of course, I made every attempt to discourage the man from taking his life. I convinced him that nothing good would come out of this act. B’chasdei Shamayim, the man was convinced and left the Beit Hamidrash, intent on starting anew.
My encounter with this Jew left me spellbound. Here was a man at the end of his rope. Had I not noticed that he wanted to speak with me, I would have continued on my way to my all-important appointment. The next morning, I might have read about this man who took his life. I would surely have spent the rest of my years feeling terrible guilt over the fact that I had not taken the time to hear him out and encourage him to make a fresh start. I offered a prayer of thanks to Hashem for enlightening me to this Jew’s signal to speak with me, thereby preventing loss of life and peace of mind.
All too often, we do not appreciate the tremendous power of respecting our fellow man. We do not realize how far a good word can go, sometimes even saving a life.
