Just Because | Rabbi Yussie Zakutinsky

You know, every day in davening, we say אהבת עולם אהבתנו, אהבה רבה, that the Ribono shel Olam loves the Jewish people and the Jewish person with an infinite, eternal love. And so very often, sometimes we could question ourselves, Why would Hashem love us so much? Why? Like, what do we have to offer already? So let me tell you a מעשה. There was a family that lived in Bnei Brak. Baruch Hashem, it was a beautiful family. They had one son and this one son was struggling in Yeshiva. He wasn't being so successful in terms of his friends and learning. And because of that, he was feeling bad about himself, hanging out with the wrong crowd. It was a slippery slope. And so one day, his father wants to give him some Chizuk, so his father takes him to the Steipler Gaon. He expects the Steipler is going to give him a Bracha, whatever. So the Steipler looks at him and the Steipler understands immediately what's going on, what this kid is going through. And the Steipler says the following thing. The Steipler says: You should know that whenever you open up a Chumash, a Mishnayos, and you get yourself to learn, and I know it's so hard, and because it's so hard for you, you should know that your learning is more Chashuv in heaven than my learning and the Brisker Rav’s learning. That’s what the Steipler said. So that's unbelievable Chizuk. But the kid wasn't satisfied with that. The kid said to the Steipler, Why? Why does Hashem care about my learning so much? You know what the Steipler said? In classic Israeli fashion, the Steipler said, ככה. That's the reality. Why? I don't know, but that's the truth. ככה, that's the way it is. Whenever I heard that story, you know, we say a few times a day, Praiseworthy is the people that Hashem is their God. אשרי העם שככה לו. When I say that pasuk, that's what I think about. אשרי העם, praiseworthy are the people, that Hashem loves them so much. Why? שככה לו that the response is ככה, that's the way it is. It's a מציאות, it’s the reality, it's the truth of all truths, that God loves us, no matter what, and for the efforts that we do. Whenever we do a small Mitzvah, always to remember the Ribono shel Olam at that moment is loving you with an infinite, eternal love. Why? ככה. And אשרי העם שככה לו. We should be zoche to experience that love. It should manifest בפועל, בגשמיות וברוחניות בביאת גואל צדק במהרה בימינו, אמן.