Inspirational Moment

The gemara recounts that R’ Yehoshua Ben Chananya once traveled to the great city of Rome, where he was told that a child, with a beautiful face and eyes, whose locks were arranged in curls, was in prison. R’ Yehoshua went to stand at the door of the prison and cried out (Yeshayah 42:24): -- “Who gave Yaakov for spoil and Bnai Yisroel to the robbers?”

The gemara recounts that R’ Yehoshua Ben Chananya once traveled to the great city of Rome, where he was told that a child, with a beautiful face and eyes, whose locks were arranged in curls, was in prison. R’ Yehoshua went to stand at the door of the prison and cried out (Yeshayah 42:24): -- “Who gave Yaakov for spoil and Bnai Yisroel to the robbers?”

The child answered, “Is it not Hashem. It is He against Whom we have sinned,
and in whose ways they would not walk; they did not heed His Torah.”

R’ Yehoshua Ben Chananya was swept away by his response and said, “I am sure that this young man will be a leader in Klal Yisroel. I swear that I will not move from here until I ransom him, for whatever price is demanded.”

Not long passed before this child became a leader in Klal Yisroel; his name was Rabbi Yishmoel ben Elisha (Gittin 58a).

The Brisker Rav asks: What greatness did R’ Yehoshua observe in the answer of this boy? After all, he merely answered R’ Yehoshua with the conclusion of the pasuk from Yeshayah.

The Brisker Rav explains that it was the child’s insight that astonished R’ Yehoshua. This young boy who was sitting in prison understood there is no happenstance in our lives. Earlier the gemara had described the events that led up to the fall of Yerushalayim and the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. The Romans lay siege to Yerushalayim, but sufficient grain had been stored by the inhabitants of the city to sustain them for a long time. The Biryonim, though, were ready to fight and burned down all the granaries, creating an acute famine in the city. Following the churban, the Biryonim argued that the tragedy was attributable to the fact that they didn’t fight; others claimed it was because there was no food; and all ascribed it to the natural course of events.

The young boy, though, immediately answered that everything is from Hashem; there is no affliction in life without reason. Yishmoel ben Elisha understood that the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash was directed by Hashem because of the sins of Am Yisroel.

When R’ Yehoshua saw that this child, even in the most difficult situation, was able to identify the hashgacha of Hashem, he realized that this young boy was destined to be a leader of Klal Yisroel in the future.

From this we see, says the Brisker Rov, that an individual who does not recognize that all that comes about in the world is from Divine Providence, and he believes that they are coincidental occurrences, could never achieve daas Torah and be superior in Klal Yisroel.

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A granddaughter of Rav Mordechai Schwab related that her grandfather once had the zechus of personally meeting the Chofetz Chaim. When he was ready to take leave of the tzaddik, Rav Schwab took the hand of the Chofetz Chaim to shake it, waiting for a bracha. However, the Chofetz Chaim fell asleep while holding Rav Schwab’s hand. Rav Schwab did not want to awaken the Chofetz Chaim, so he waited until the Chofetz Chaim awoke, and he then let go of his hand.

This incident delayed Rav Schwab’s departure, and he missed his scheduled train. He had to wait at the station for the next train to arrive. A short time later Rav Schwab found out that the train he had been scheduled to take had been in a terrible accident and many people on the train had been killed.

From that time on, Rav Schwab accepted upon himself not to hear or speak lashon hora.