Kupas Yom Tov Ensures a Befitting Yom Tov for the Bnei Torah of Lakewood

There was no money tree. There was no golden hen. Where were the funds coming from?

Despite Rabbi Gold’s reputation as man without extra means, he had undertaken to support 80 kollel yungeleit in a very generous fashion. Month after month, the kollel was operating, and stipends were handed out on time. The yungerleit couldn’t figure it out. How was their rosh kollel covering this massive budget?

On Purim, the wine went in, and the secret spilled out.

Rabbi Gold shared that he had taken his children out for a day of fun and relaxation. On the return trip, the car sputtered to a stop and the family discovered that they were out of gas. For 30 long minutes, they waited for someone to take pity on them, but no one seemed to notice the stranded family.

Finally, a nonreligious Jew stopped for them. At first, he was clearly not very keen on helping a chareidi family, but eventually, he offered to bring Rabbi Gold to a gas station to purchase gas and then drive him back to his car.

Imagine his surprise when Rabbi Gold chose to leave the gas station empty-handed!

The man asked Rabbi Gold what had happened. In reply, the rabbi gestured to a flashing sign that proclaimed, “Patuach b’Shabbat—Open on Shabbos”!

“There’s no way I am buying gas here,” Rabbi Gold said. “I can’t support someone who flaunts the fact that he disrespects my Father. Keeping Shabbos honors my Father. I stand up for my Father’s honor. I love Hashem and Hashem loves me. I would prefer to sleep in my car than to be part of a chillul Hashem.”

The man responded angrily to what he perceived as Rabbi Gold’s foolishness. Eventually, though, he told Rabbi Gold that since he pitied the small Gold children, he would drive him to another gas station. They traveled many miles before finding a station where Rabbi Gold could buy gas.

Three months passed. One day, Rabbi Gold received a surprising phone call. The irreligious man who had driven him to the gas station was on the line. He told Rabbi Gold that his father had left him a fabulous inheritance—but with a caveat.

“My father wanted forty percent of his fortune to go to someone whom Hashem loves,” the man said. He related that at first he had been dumbfounded; he hadn’t had a clue where to turn. Eventually, though, he’d recalled Rabbi Gold’s words “I love Hashem and Hashem loves me.”When he remembered how Rabbi Gold sacrificed for Hashem’s honor, he thought, This is the man my father wants me to give the money to.

And so Rabbi Gold became the surprised beneficiary of a multi-property investment. With the revenue he earned from the buildings he received, he happily supported the kollel.

A wink from Above

In a world of darkness and confusion, it’s hard to remember that every bit of good is being noticed and accounted for. When it seems like evil and falsehood are rewarded, it’s easy to fall prey to the temptation to forget our values.

But sometimes we get a wink, a nod, a sign that the tremendous love we have for Hashem and His Torah is cherished by our Father in heaven. Our Father feels our tremendous love and devotion, and there is no greater honor for His Name. And sometimes, He grants us a clap on the back, a bit of chizuk that inspires us to continue to love and serve Him.

This past fall, Rabbi Gold in Ramot got such a message. And Rabbi David Ashear of Living Emunah spread the inspiration to us all.

Can we imagine Rabbi Gold’s joy when he discovered that millions of dollars were coming his way?

Can we imagine our joy when we’ll discover the rewards Hashem will shower on us for each time we stood up for His honor?

Can we imagine the nachas ruach it brings the Ribono Shel Olam when His people turn their hearts, their passion, and their love toward Him?

For the honor of Hashem

Our human minds are limited. We can dream about fortunes, about financial security, about tangible rewards. But can we stretch ourselves further? Can we imagine the infinite schar set aside for us when we stand up for Hashem, when we show Him our love?

Sometimes, we can.

We can feel that yearning to do for our Father. The pull is there. Our hearts turn to our Father in heaven. My Father! My King! My Creator! You have granted me every breath I have ever breathed, the pulsating blood flowing through my heart, my vision, my hearing, my family, my community, my talents, my thoughts, and my speech.

Oh, dear Father, how can I express my love, my connection, my yearning to be close to you? How can I honor Your Name?

Hashem’s Great Name is nearly hidden in the turbulent physical world. But we know where His Glory is revealed on this world. We shomrei Torah recognize that every holy letter in the Torah is testimony to Hashem’s rulership over the world.

The Torah reveals the magnificent design of the Master Designer. It instructs us how to discover Hashem’s will. It is the unbreakable bond between us and our Father in heaven.

Honoring the Torah is honoring Hashem.

Loving the Torah is loving Hashem.

Respecting the Torah is respecting Hashem.

And we know that. Every magnificent, towering shul is testimony to our connection with Hashem and the Torah. Every joyous hachnasas Sefer Torah honors Hashem and the Torah. Every one of the many chadarim and yeshivos, so generously supported by the community, proves our love for Hashem and His Torah. As do the Avos U’banim programs and Yeshivas Mordechai Hatzaddik, the learning campaigns and learning camps, the sefarim given as gifts, the sefarim lovingly collected, and the sefarim shranks generously filled.

Each and every day, our nation thanks Hashem for the Torah. Each and every day, we live a lifestyle that demonstrates our love for Hashem and the Torah.

Can we fathom the joy it brings our Father?

And…can we take it upward and onward? Can we try to do more to continue to demonstrate our endless love for our Father, Who has endless love and compassion for us?

Lifting up the flag bearers

Yes, we can. We want so badly to show our love and honor for Hashem. We yearn to do more, to mirror in our own weak way how Hashem yearns to express His infinite love for us.

In Ashrei we say, “Einei chol eilecha yesabeiru v’Attah nosein lahem es achlam b’itto”—we turn to Hashem for food and sustenance, and Hashem provides it.

The next pasuk seems to repeat this concept with the words “Pose’ach es yadecha…”

Why do we seemingly say the same thing twice?

The first verse is expressing that when we ask Hashem, He gives; and the second is praise for the times that Hashem opens His Hand and lavishes upon us whatever it is that we want without our asking. He does this out of His love for us.

The same way Hashem is always looking for ways to give and to benefit us, it is incumbent upon us to always search for ways to express our ahavah back.

So let’s do it. Let’s express our love for our Father through our love for His Torah. Let’s seek out those who are dedicating their lives to Torah. Let’s send a message to ourselves, to our families, to our Father above, that the lomdei Torah are cherished, for they are toiling over Hashem’s words. Let’s bring honor to Hashem and the Torah by valuing the limud haTorah of Lakewood’s bnei Torah.

Our yungeleit are carrying Hashem’s flag. Can we allow the flag bearers to hunch under the strain? Can we allow the flag to be displayed in any way other than one that is beautiful and becoming?

No. Our great love for our Father drives us to do our best.

Dear Father in heaven, we yearn to strengthen our connection with You. And You’ve given us the Torah. We live a life that is harmonious with our Torah values. And now we are going to do more. We are going to uplift and encourage Your flag bearers, Your lomdei Torah.

Kupas Yom Tov was founded with the goal of ensuring a beautiful Yom Tov as is befitting our cherished bnei Torah. And it continues to run with one purpose: to ensure that these special families who give up so much throughout the year to dedicate their lives to Hashem and His Torah will be able to make Yom Tov with dignity.

With minimal overhead, the funds you provide go straight to these chashuve yungeleit, b’derech kavod.

We are doing it for You, Ribono Shel Olam.

Because our hearts are full of love for You and Your Torah.

Because Your flag bearers bring honor to Your Name.

Because we are Yours. And You are ours.