Rav Shach ztl told over the following story on the holocaust (from MeRosh Emuna pg.190): One of the stories that I heard about the holocaust is a story of a group of young Jews that were being brought to the gas chambers. When they came to a certain room beforehand where they were forced to take off all of their clothes before entering the chambers of death, they suddenly remembered that the day was Simchas Torah. So, spontaneously, they put aside completely their dreadful situation. They put aside that they were standing in their final minutes of life, and said to each other: Today is simchas torah. We dont have a sefer torah to dance with, but a Creator of the Universe, we do have. So we can dance in front of Him. And so they all went out in singing and dancing for simchas torah in the honor of their Creator! (Rav Shach asks:) I ask of you Rabosai! Did they die Al Kidush Hashem or live Al Kidush Hashem? Did they die with mesirus nefesh or live with mesirus nefesh? At that time, they had Olam Haze and Olam Haba. I dont know what you think, but I know what I think - I would give all of my life in exchange for those seconds of richness and pleasure that they had! The pleasure they had in those few moments before death - cannot be measured in money! It is worth all the money in the world! This is a Jew! From this story of Rav Shach, ztl we can get a glimpse of the preciousness of time. Sometimes, in our daily routines, in our business, we forget that our life in this world is temporary. It will soon be over. So I wasted a year - Who cares! Its only when the end is imminent does a person appreciate the value of time. But this way of thinking is erroneous. Eternity is now! Every minute of a persons life is an eternal minute. Its here now and gone forever - written and sealed in G-ds book and can never, ever be changed. If a person thinks about and internalizes this he will constantly live his life as if hes in his last moments. Rav Avigdor Miller ztl said one second of life is the greatest gift. If a person imagines that every second is here now and gone forever, he will fill each second of his day fully and properly, and will seal it forever as a day dedicated to G-d Al Kidush Hashem.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 04:49:41 +0000
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