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Pinchas

Moshe spoke to Hashem, saying. "May Hashem, G-d of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly. Who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall take them out and bring them in; and let the assembly of Hashem not be like sheep that have no shepherd." Hashem said to Moshe, "Take to yourself Yehoshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lean your hand upon him" (Bemidbar 27:15-18).
Rashi interprets these passages according to the words of Chazal who explained that since no two people are alike, Moshe requested that the future leader of Israel be 'a man in whom there is spirit," meaning, one who understands the individual spirit of each and every Jew and knows how to deal with him accordingly.

The truth is, though, that even the same person must be dealt with differently at different times and in various situations. Consequently, to be successful in his mission, the true leader of Israel needs a large dose of siyata DiShemaya (Heavenly assistance). Rabbi Baruch Shim'on Shneerson zt"l, son-in-law of the Gaon of Tshebin ztvk"l, was such a man. He had the insight to understand whom he was dealing with, and the proper way to handle the situation at that particular moment. And he also had help from Above enabling him to be successful as the following story in Aleynu Leshabeiach clearly illustrates. One his students, who wanted to continue learning Torah after his wedding, was offered the opportunity to do so by the father of his potential bride. However, after the engagement, it became obvious that the girl's father had no intention whatsoever of fulfilling his financial obligations to the young man. The chosson's father went to Reb Baruch Shim'on for advice. Contrary to his usually very gentle nature, the Rabbi immediately sent a strongly worded message to the girl's father informing him in no uncertain terms that if he did not keep his promises, the engagement would be considered null and void. A short while later, the father handed over the entire amount to his future son-in-law.

However, after the wedding, during the sheva berachos, the young man was shocked to find out that his father-in-law had swindled him by taking many loans, for the entire amount, on his daughter's name! It was now his obligation to repay them all. Trembling, the young man went to visit his Rabbi and ask his advice. Rabbi Shneerson asked the young man if he thought there was any hope of getting his father-in-law to cover the loans and he said absolutely not. The wise Rabbi suggested then that he not make an issue out of it at all, for the sake of his marriage which would only be ruined if he protested. "Trust in Hashem," Reb Baruch Shim'on concluded, "and you will see that He will help you."

The wise young man did as his Rabbi had counseled him and let the issue pass without comment. To his amazement, right after the sheva berachos he got a call from a relative who was a rabbi. It seems that a student in his yeshiva had just arrived from the USA and he needed a private tutor. The affluent, American parents were offering eight times the amount of a regular kolel stipend.

A day or two later, the Mashigiach, Rabbi Mordechai Rimer zt"l called to say that in his yeshiva too a weak student needed a private tutor and his parents were offering four times the average stipend. Consequently, this young man found himself earning twelve times the amount he had expected to receive and within a very short time he paid off all of the debts which had been forced upon him.

What he didn't know was that these "miracles" were the result of the efforts of his Rabbi, Rabbi Shneerson, who had searched and found these exorbitant sources of income in order to help his student who had obeyed him.

But the most amazing thing is that as soon as the debts were paid, the first student got engaged and left that yeshiva and the second one changed to another yeshiva too. It was clear that there was obvious siyata diShemaya which had helped the concerned and dedicated Rabbi keep his promise to the young man. Now, he was free to learn in a kolel full-time and pursue his Torah studies all day without any financial burden at all.


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