A Time of Hunger | Rabbi Reuven Schmeltzer

R’ Wolf Rosengarten from Switzerland had a friend, who wanted to see the Chofetz Chaim. He arrived very late at night. When he came to the house, they told him that the Chofetz Chaim’s not available tonight. It's too late. So he slept in the Shul and in the morning, he went to the Chofetz Chaim’s house. And of course, he was waiting there. And as the Derech was very often, the Chofetz Chaim would talk, and it was well known the Ruach Hakodesh of the Chofetz Chaim was or the Siyata D’Shamaya, he would say things and people would think, Hey, why is he saying that? The Chofetz Chaim started talking. There's a hunger in the heaven. There's a famine. The Ribono shel Olam desires the Mitzvos of the Yidden. There are so many Yidden who are lost and there are so many Yidden who are not being Mekayem the Mitzvos the way they should. The Ribono shel Olam values everyone's actions, even small ones. Even a simple Maariv the Ribono shel Olam values. As the Chofetz Chaim is talking, this Bochur thinks to himself: One second, I forgot to daven Maariv last night. I arrived so late. The Chofetz Chaim is talking to me. This is what R’ Wolf Rosengarten heard from this Bochur. In a similar instance, one time, they asked the Chofetz Chaim a question. It says in the Zohar that any Mitzvah that's not done בדחילו ורחימו it's not accepted above. The Ribono shel Olam only accepts something that's a perfect action, a perfect Mitzvah, with יראה and אהבה. They asked the Chofetz Chaim, So what are we left with? We’re not holding on the Madrega. Does that mean none of our actions mean anything? So the Chofetz Chaim said, There was a baker, who baked breads, and people complained, His bread is too hard, his bread is too soft. His pastries, ech, not enough sugar, not enough frosting. And he didn’t get such business, because people complained about his food. But in the time of war, his bakery was mobbed with buyers. In the time of war, there's nothing available. Everyone will take his bread, everyone will take whatever cake they could get, whatever pastry they could get. Soft, hard, makes no difference. Said the Chofetz Chaim, Today there's a hunger. No matter what action a Yid does, he works, he tries, the Ribono shel Olam accepts it, because that's what we could do. Today, in our time, there’s no doubt that there's a famine. And the Ribono shel Olam values everything we do, even the smallest action, even if we fail at the end. My Rebbe, R’ Moshe Shapiro זכרונו לברכה, was once spoken to by a Talmid, who's a Rebbe in a Yeshiva himself, and he had a Talmid in the Yeshiva who was grappling a lot with Nisyonos, terrible Nisyonos in Kedushah. And this Bochur, he had such a hard time, and yet, he was able to be Misgaber a little bit in a small area and his Rebbe told him: Ah! Very good. The Ribono shel Olam’s very happy with you. And this Rebbe of that Bochur was speaking to my Rebbe, R’ Moshe Shapiro, which is his Rebbe, and he told him about this Bochur. He told him about the struggle and about the small victory he had with the Yetzer Hara and he told him that he was Mechazek the Bochur. And my Rebbe, R’ Moshe, stared at him and stared at him. He realized that he did something wrong. So my Rebbe said to him in his sharp way, You said nothing. This is what you should say to him, When Moshiach is going to come, everybody's going to line up to greet Moshiach. All the Gedolei Yisroel, all the Chachmei Yisroel, all the Talmidei Chachamim, all the distinguished Baalei Tzedaka, they’re going to say Shalom Aleichem to Moshiach. Shalom Aleichem, I am R’ Yaakov. I am a Rosh Yeshiva. I am this עסקן. I'm this Mitzvah doer. And everyone's going to greet him and say who they are. You're going to be in the back of the line. And when you get to Moshiach, you should say: Shalom Aleichem, Moshiach. You don't know me, but I'm the one who brought you. This is the attitude we have to have today. We, with our Mesirus Nefesh, despite the difficulty, we are the ones bringing Moshiach.