Tuned in to Teshuvah
A Torah-observant Jew approached me, and, with great enthusiasm cried out, “Rabbi David! You are my mentor! I always dreamed of meeting you, face-to-face. Baruch Hashem, I have now merited this honor!”
Since I didn’t recognize the man, I asked him his name. But that, too, did not ring a bell. “How can you say that I am your mentor; I don’t recognize you at all!”
He replied with this touching story:
Today, I look like a regular ben Torah. I try to represent the Torah community by behaving appropriately and sanctifying Hashem’s Name through mitzvot. But just a few years ago, Torah and mitzvot were the farthest things from my mind. I didn’t look like a Jew, and I didn’t act like one.
Then, one fateful day, which would change my life forever, I took a cab, driven by a religious Jew. The driver asked if I would mind if he would listen to a recorded speech as we rode, as he was not allowed to listen to music at the time.
I agreed. The driver turned on a tape, and throughout the drive, we listened to your wonderful speech, directed at ba’alei teshuvah. You mentioned a case most similar to my own. Your words of inspiration penetrated my heart and brought me to thoughts of teshuvah.
I was very moved by the recording. As I alighted from the cab, I asked the driver if he would lend me the cassette. Unfortunately, he was unable to, but promised that he would send me a similar one, which he did.
I felt like a young child, listening to his first tape, over and over again. Each time, the message entered more deeply, bringing me to higher levels of teshuvah, until I was completely transformed into a bona fide ba’al teshuvah! This is why I consider you my Rav and mentor.
How tremendous is the power of one recording. Just by sitting in a taxi and listening to a speech, a person’s neshamah can be tuned in to Torah and teshuvah.
