A Tale of Two Friends

The challenges that currently face the Jewish People around the highly uncertain and turbulent world behoove us to increase our efforts in spreading emuna, for nothing so invokes Divine compassion and mercy as emuna outreach does. Let me with the following allegory that Hashem illuminated in my mind:
 
There were two friends – one wealthy and generous and the second a simple individual of minimal means. The two once heard that a mutual friend was now in terrible financial trouble, burdened with huge debts. Together, the two friends visited their friend in trouble. When their friend described his hardships, the two had tears in their eyes. The poor friend took a small booklet with encouraging words of emuna and an emuna-lesson CD out of his pocket and gave it to his heartbroken friend.  The rich friend wrote a tremendous check that not only covered all the heartbroken friend's debts but enabled him to learn Torah and continue on with his life without further financial worries.
 
The day came for the two friends to leave the world and they were ushered into the Heavenly Court. The court was so highly impressed with rich man's deeds and all the money he gave to charitable causes that they accorded him a huge reward and wonderful place in the upper world. The rich friend however was totally dumbfounded when he learned that his poor friend received a reward that was a thousand-fold greater for his "insignificant" act of giving the CD and the booklet. What's more, the poor man's reward just continued growing like a well-watered plant in fertile soil.
 
The rich man asked his poor friend: "What did you give our heartbroken friend that has earned you such a tremendous reward?"
 
The poor friend answered that he gave him an emuna booklet and an encouraging emuna CD that together cost about five dollars.
 
The rich friend – burned by the canopy of his poor friend as is the case of the upper world – cried out painfully in the Heavenly Court: "What’s going on here? Is this the world of truth? Is this what you call justice? I gave at least a million dollars to our heartbroken friend and he gave less than five dollars. My charity enabled our heartbroken friend to learn Torah and to marry off his children. for years and had money to take care of his children and even his grandchildren. My poor friend gave almost nothing, yet he receives thousands upon thousands of time greater reward than me?!" This claim created quite a commotion in the Heavenly Court.
 
The Heavenly Court responded, "True, you have earned awesome merit. Even so, your gift doesn’t equal in value even to a tiny portion of what your friend gave. Your friend gave something so great it’s immeasurable; he brought your mutual friend back to Hashem. He gave him emuna, by virtue of which the heartbroken individual became a happy Baal Teshuva who began to truly love the Creator and talk with Him every day. In the merit of this small booklet, all of his children and grandchildren are going in the way of Hashem and they too are working hard to bring people close to Hashem. It’s impossible to measure the reward that your friend will receive, for it will continue to grow forever.
 
* * *
 
So what do we learn from this?
 
There is no charity or kindness that can compare to emuna outreach. There is nothing in the world that comes even close!
 
The story of the three friends is not just a story but the real truth.  There is nothing greater than hafatza, spreading emuna in the world. Nothing. The Holy Zohar sings the praise of those who bring people closer to Hashem. In their virtue, the entire universe is sustained. Hashem will always be with him and his family is blessed.
 
My brothers and sisters, cherished friends, I plea for everyone to take action. "Whoever is for Hashem, come to me"! The war of our generation is to make every effort to bring the souls of Jewish people back to their Father in Heaven.  There is nothing greater than this. May Hashem help sanctify His holy Name and may we soon see the day when at “every living thing calls Your Name,” amen!

Be a full partner with Rabbi Shalom Arush in spreading emuna around the globe! Donate to Emuna Outreach