Unconditional Love
Two Jewish businessmen came to ask me for advice regarding their businesses. The first looked like a nice, Torah-observant Jew, while the other looked like he had no connection with the Torah or faith in Hashem.
As soon as they walked in, I stood up and greeted the second man with a warm embrace. He was duly surprised, and said, “With all due respect to the Rav, I do not believe in G-d.”
“Nonetheless,” I replied, unfazed by his candor. “You are a Jew, the son of the King of the universe! And even if now you do not observe mitzvot, your ancestors were surely mitzvah-observant. B’ezrat Hashem, one day, you or your children will return.”
The two men took care of their business with me. I gave the believing Jew a heartfelt blessing for success. When his friend saw this, he asked to speak to me privately. He then asked me for a similar, sincere blessing.
I placed both hands on his head and blessed him from the depths of my heart. The man was extremely moved and began to weep. In a burst of inspiration, he stated that he wished to lay tefillin and observe all of the other mitzvot. I instructed him how to go about it, explaining the way to uphold the Torah and its mitzvot.
This meeting taught me a tremendous lesson. The small, insignificant act of displaying unconditional love toward one’s fellow Jew has such far-reaching effects. It can even bring a person to teshuvah.
