WRITTEN BY SHMUEL T. ADLER TOGETHER WITH DOV
AND CHANA KEPLOWITZ*:
Before getting married, Dov* and Chana Keplowitz* decided to commit their lives to Torah. All they wanted was for Dov to be able to learn as much as he could. Chana was ready, as much as was practical, to be moser nefesh to work and support the family.
The Keplowitz’s entered this commitment open-minded knowing they may encounter difficulties along the way. They would try to live a simple life as long as they could manage until they felt it was too much for them. Then they would ask advice about whether or not the time had come for them to change their plan of action.
In the beginning it worked out as they had hoped. Chana found a decent job. Together with some support from their family they were able to live a comfortable but simple life. Dov was able to literally throw himself in to his learning. In addition to his learning, Dov helped others and he was liked by many. He absolutely loved what he was doing. He applied himself and he grew phenomenally. Chana and Dov felt extremely happy and fulfilled. Dov was able to focus on his learning without difficulty. There was nothing else in the world which he enjoyed better. If G-d arranged that things would continue to work out in this manner then that would be great.
Then they’re first child was born and life changed. Through a miracle, the Keplowitz’s found out that Chana was suffering from Post-Partum Depression and she was able to get the help which she needed. (This is a story in and of itself). Things were more difficult than before, as it was harder for Chana to work in her present condition. However they felt they could still manage. And they did. Chana was able to work despite the difficulty, and thus Dov was able to continue to throw himself into his learning.
But then things got more difficult. Another child was born. The added responsibilities which came with the newborn baby made working, much harder for Chana to bear. After some time of trying to still make things work, it seemed to them that it had reached the time which they had previously decided that they would ask advice about changing their lifestyle. Maybe Dov should get a job or at least try tutoring someone to bring in some extra money.
It was with a heavy heart that Dov contemplated these new options. He loved learning and he was doing great in the place he was learning in, with the people he was learning with. Even just beginning tutoring someone would be a big downslide from the top of the mountains which he had just spent the past few years climbing.
The Keplowitz’s felt that they were in a real bind. They were stuck!
Then G-d came to the rescue!
Here is what happened to the Keplowitz’s, in their own words (A few minor changes have been made):
This all took place in the beginning of the summer. Chana was starting to feel overwhelmed with her responsibilities working for SciFi-Tech*. She decided she needed a break, now, even though it was right before bein hazimanim and she would basically be forfeiting her job at SciFi-Tech for the next 6 months. She decided to do it anyway and leave the rest in G-ds hands. Dov decided being that it was his responsibility to support the family he would have to do something to earn some money because Chana would be losing her job. He began looking into high paying kollelim and found two possibilities. He thought of another option as well; staying in his Yeshiva but tutoring a bochur during seder.
The next morning he went to ask his Rebbe which of the two was better. His Rebbe said “Hmmm, is tutoring someone going to be good for you? No! Going to another kollel could be either way. It may work out and it may not. I have an option which is for sure good for you! Stay in yeshiva, learn with your regular chavrusos and daven and daven and daven!” Dov thought to himself, “That was not one of the options!” But he didn’t say anything. He was a little bit uncomfortable with the idea, afraid that his Rebbe was asking too much from him. He decided to run the idea by another Rebbi. Later that day, he bumped into Rav Shalom* and asked him whether following what his Rebbe had told him was a lack of histadlus. Rav Shalom responded that Dov should try it out for Elul Zman and if it is working then continue; otherwise he should join another kollel.
Consquently, Dov and Chana decided to daven, daven and daven with the hope that Chana would find another job and Dov wouldn’t have to interrupt his learning to earn money.
During lunch time Chana had a rescheduled doctor’s appointment with her psychiatrist (whom she was seeing, due to the PPD she was suffering from). Dr. Brosner*, (the psychiatrist), himself, had called the week earlier to reschedule the appointment for that date; something which was very unusual. Chana decided to ask him to email her boss stating that she needs the two month break for her emotional sanity. Boruch Hashem, as busy as he was, Dr. Brosner was able to send the email that afternoon. The request for the email was just to explain to Chana’s boss why she was asking for a two month break right before Bein Hazimanim; there was no intent of the email helping Chana with keeping her job afterwards.
That afternoon Chana emailed her boss to have a phone meeting about leaving work for the two month break. They set the time for 9:00 p.m.
Dov went to daven Maariv at 8:45 p.m. Chana and Dov decided that after Maariv they will discuss exactly what to say to evoke the most positive response possible from her boss in the upcoming nerve wracking, uncomfortable and unpleasant phone conversation.
Before leaving to maariv, Dov told Chana based on a shmuz that he had heard from R’ Asher Zelig Rubinstein Zt”l, that Chana’s boss is a puppet in Hashems hands. If Hashem wants him to say that she can have a two month break and still get her job back, then he will!; and if not, he won’t! Dov davened his heart out by Maariv. He came home from Maariv not looking forward to the task that they had ahead of them in the least bit but at the same time hopeful that maybe, maybe the conversation would go well.
He was greeted by an exuberant Chana! She explained that at about 9:05 p.m., her boss took the initiative and her boss called her! He basically said that no problem, she can take off for two months and return back to the job afterwards!! However, any extra time she would have over bein hazmanim to work would be of great benefit to the company being that the company desperately needed any extra workers they could get over bein hazimanim!!
And this was not it. Right after all this occurred the Keplowitz’s received some funds which they had not known about previously! Plus, right at that time a relative decided to give them all his masser money! (And there is more to the story, which will be written in a follow up article).
As a result of all of this, Dov has still been able to continue learning in his Yeshiva with the people he was learning well with! The Keplowitz’s realized that we are all mere puppets in G-ds hands. We daven, daven, daven, and G-d could do anything!
This is the Keplowitz’s story. Not all of us may be able to relate to the exact details of this story; however everyone can relate to the so valuable idea which is bought out by this story. (In truth there is more than one lesson which can be learnt). That is that there are times in all of our lives when we feel that our backs are against the wall. We feel stuck. Or there is something which we really need.
Be it something which is really serious such as a refua for someone who is very sick; or even more mundane issues. We may be tight on money, or maybe we are unhappy with our job. We may be preparing for yom tov and feeling overwhelmed at how much there is left to do. It might be that our children are really stretching us to our limits. Or maybe there is a relationship with a close friend which we wish was better. Maybe we need someone to take carpool in our place and we don’t know who to call.
Whatever the example, what the Keplowitz’s story tells us is that what one must do is daven, daven, daven! And it’s more than that. Most importantly, as with the Keplowitz’s, one has to truly believe that their davening will help. We are puppets in G-ds hands and when we daven to Him and believe that He can help us, then He will! This is the main point of the story. We see clearly how the Keplowitz’s davened and then their salvation came! We see that if we are in need, we should pour our heart out to our dear loving Father in Heaven. And He will hear us, and He will help!
This is what it says when the Jews left Mitzrayim. “Va’Yishma Hashem es Tza’akasam”. G-d heard the Jews crying out and davening and then, G-d listened to their cries and tefillos and brought the Geula!
What is beautiful about the Keplowitz story is that they were acting with intelligence and open-mindedness. They knew that due to the circumstances they may have to change their way of living, though it may be something they were not used to. But they were going to “fight until their last breath” before giving in! They davened, and davened, and davened.
And G-d listened to their tefillos!!
And when we daven when we are stuck. G-d will hear our tefillos as well!
* names changed for privacy
L’zchus Refua Sheleima Yehoshua Ben Nechama Aliza; L’iluy Nishmas Chaim Pinchos ben Yaakov Yitzchok