שבת-םב

The רב of אוסטרובצה once had a חסיד who came to him complaining that he had inherited a store from his father, who had been successful and made a comfortable living from the business. “But since I have the store,” he said, “days can go by without a single customer. I can’t make a living.” “What do you do during those days?” the רב asked him. “I just while away the time or read a newspaper,” the חסיד answered. “Well that explains it,” the רב responded. “Your father, עליו השלום, would take advantage of every free moment to learn a דף גמרא, a פרשה of חומש, or to say a פרק of תהילים. That would so upset the יצר הרע that he would cause customers, one after another, to come into the store and distract him from his learning. But since you’re not learning anyways, the יצר הרע doesn’t have any need to bother you with customers.”

07/05/2020