Page 3 - MAY Ateres HaShavua
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Stories of Tzaddikim
GETTING BACK UP Shlomo Tusk, 12th Grade
The Kedushas Levi, Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, was known to have quite an interesting גהנמ - he would not
daven in a shul where he was unable to view himself as the biggest עשר in the congregation. However, one morning he found
himself incapable of doing so. A man entered the shul, and the Kedushas Levi saw through שדקה חור that this man had just
committed a terrible הרבע the day before. Reb Levi was now stuck - since he was no longer able to view himself as the
biggest עשר in the shul, he’d have to leave. He ultimately left the shul, only to come back an hour later to daven with his
Chassidim.
When תירחש ended the Chassidim approached Reb Levi and asked him why he’d returned, considering the fact that
the man who had performed the הרבע was still in shul. The holy Rav of Berditchev answered that ה had opened his eyes and
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made him see that this “עשר” was really a tremendous קידצ after all.
Reb Levi proceeded to explain that even he couldn’t have brought himself to come to Shul after committing such a
terrible הריבע, as this man did. From the fact that this man was able to bring himself to Shul the next morning, the Kedushas
Levi realized that, in reality, this man was a קידצ.
The lesson that can be learned from such a story is extremely relevant to what is happening around us in today’s
times. Many people walk around feeling like they are unwanted for their service of Hashem, as a result of all the תוריבע
they’ve committed. They feel like they are לוספ, and believe that their past renders even their biggest תווצמ as ףירט. This
feeling of being לוספ before ה is one of the biggest weapons the ערה רצי employs, as he uses it to make us give up hope. We
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must fight the ערה רצי, have confidence in ourselves, and be able to serve ה to the best of our abilities, הנש םירשעו האמ דע.
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PARSHA QUESTIONS
By Yeshayahu Leff
1) How many men visited םהרבא’s tent?
1) 3
2) Why did םהרבא enjoin the guests to wash the dust off their feet?
2) Because םהרבא suspected they
worshipped dust
3) What was another name for םהרבא’s 2nd wife?
3) הרוטק
4) The םיכלאמ visited םהרבא in the afternoon and then only came to טול during evening.
Why was there a delay? 4) The םיכלאמ were hoping ה would
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change his mind
5) What was םהרבא’s mother’s name and which famous figure in נת's mother shared the
ך
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same name? 5) יאלתמא; ןמה
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