והחזקת בו!
ראוי שהעולם יתמהו על האהבה שביניכם
Dear Friend,
I’d really appreciate it if you could devote a couple of minutes to read this letter, which I’ve written straight from my heart.
There’s a popular saying that goes, “What’s worse than being an orphan? Being an orphan to living parents.”
Never in my life have I seen a living example of these words until I met Yehuda (not his real name). At first glance, he appeared the perfect boy — an 18-year-old yeshiva bachur, dignified yet friendly, thoughtful, yet warm, whose main interests and pursuits are Torah study, tefillah and avodas Hashem.
What wasn’t evident to onlookers was the fact that Yehuda’s parents are dysfunctional. His father is a baal teshuvah from overseas who married late and who is suffering from a chronic disease (now in a closed ward in a hospice). His mother is a convert who barely manages to thread together a few words in Hebrew (I know, because I tried speaking to her).
Yehuda got engaged to a very nice girl from a fine, respected family – truly an outstanding shidduch. But before the vort, Yehuda had to commit to taking upon himself all the wedding expenses, from A to Z.
Other than three younger sisters, Yehuda has no relatives. He literally has no one to help him.
When I asked his mother about their financial situation, I understood that their bank account has been frozen for years, due to her husband’s failed attempt to start a business just prior to falling ill – an illness that ended with him being hospitalized for two years. With the breadwinner and family head out of the picture, combined with her lack of experience and understanding of the Israeli bureaucratic system, Yehuda’s mother became entangled with the tax authorities. As a result, the family was thrust into deep debt, and had their bank account frozen.
I’m astounded by how Yehuda, who suffered such a dysfunctional childhood with no parent figures to speak of, grew against all odds to become a fantastic bachur, one that every parent would be proud of.
My dear friend, I can tell you in all sincerity that I’ve never come across such a heartrending scenario. I felt incapable of just watching Yehuda struggle, and so I opened a fund for him in the Merkaz Hatzedaka organization called “Hakol Krovav” – because truly, Yehuda and his parents are like a meis mitzvah with no one in the world to turn to, and, therefore, according to Chazal, we are obligated to help them.
I am certain that you, as a Jew with a warm heart, will be happy to help with the wedding expenses so that Yehuda will be able to walk to his chuppa in a respectable manner and free of the burden of debt. This mitzvah is doubly important as it also involves the rare mitzvah of loving the convert, which we don’t encounter very often.
May we always be among the givers who emulate the traits of Hakadosh Baruch Hu: just as He is merciful and compassionate, so you must be merciful and compassionate.
If you wish, you can send me names and I will, bli neder, give them to the chassan on his wedding day.
Please pass this message on to your contact list so that they can also take part in this very important mitzvah.