One Turn | Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer

Every person has his Shaah. What does Shaah mean? Bartenura, Meiri, Rashbatz say that Shaah means moment. Every person's got his moment. However, there's another explanation. The Torah says, But to Kayin and to his offering He did not turn. Kayin brought a sacrifice. He wanted desperately that it should be accepted, but the Ribono shel Olam wasn't Shaah to Kayin's sacrifice. Says Rashi: What does Shaah mean? Turn. The Ribono shel Olam didn’t turn to Kayin’s sacrifice. Shaah means turn. The Gemara in Avoda Zara 17 speaks about the most illicit, immoral sinner in the world, Elazar ben Dordaya, when finally he decides to make an about-face to change his life. He does Teshuva and then he dies. Rebbi’s crying and Rebbi says, You could acquire the World to Come in one Shaah. Says the Reisha Rav, You know what it means Shaah there? It means a turn. It means that Elazar ben Doradaya, the worst sinner on the planet, he decided in that moment to make a turn, and that turn gave him the World to Come. I want to tell you a remarkable story. One time I was in an office building, going up in the elevator, and in the elevator with me was a guy who was immaculately, exquisitely dressed. He looked so suave. I thought he was Italian and then I had a premonition, a sense. I said to him: Are you Jewish? And he said in a heimishe accent, he said: Yeah, but I eat pork on Yom Kippur and I desecrate Shabbos publicly. I said: I can't believe it. I said: You gotta come to BJX. I said: What's your phone number? So first, he hesitated, and I got it out of him. He gave me his phone number. I wrote it down on a piece of paper, I didn't have my phone with me, and then the paper ripped and I lost two digits. I felt devastated. I davened to the Ribono shel Olam every single day in the Harotzeh Bitshuva. The Arizal says in Harotzeh Bitshuva you could daven for somebody to do Teshuva. I davened for this Neshama. Six months later, I'm in BJX for Kabbolas Shabbos and in walks Charlie. Charlie was the guy from the elevator. He's holding an attaché case, a cigarette, a cellphone on Shabbos, but he's coming, he's joining us. I said: Charlie, how did you find us and what brought you here, Charlie? Charlie said to me, he says, I was driving down Ocean Avenue and something told me, Turn onto Avenue K. I saw the sign BJX, I said I have to come in here. Fast forward. Charlie today, he's no longer Charlie. He's Chaim’l. He has a whole beautiful family. He observes Torah and Mitzvos. It's amazing. What did it? One turn. Shaah achas. We are all confronted by different sights and images every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. All it takes is one turn. Turn away, look away. There is one who acquires their World in a single turn. You could do it. אין לך אדם שאין לו שעה. Every person has that moment, every person has the opportunity, when you could have your Shaah, your turn. Turn away. You get the World to Come. There's nothing like it. We could all do it.