The Wonders of Harav Yitzchack Kadouri

Unique and unparalleled 201 We can learn from this a great lesson. The verse reads (Mi- chah 7:2) , “The righteous have been lost from the earth, and the upright are no more.” The stress is on the words, “from the earth,” for the righteous still exist, in the Heavens. Thus it is exclusively our loss and not theirs. We no longer have the merit to bask in their glory or sit under their shelter. They, on the other hand, bask in the glory of the Al-mighty and enjoy their canopy of good deeds in the world Above. Who can replace him Who can possibly replace the Rav? Who can substitute for him? What is left for us is to walk in his ways – to devote ourselves to the bene¿t of the Jewish nation, to pray for the end of the exile and the diminution of the Di- vine Presence. The story is told of a maidservant who went t o draw water from a well. As she lowered her pitcher from her shoulder, it slipped from her hands and fell into the well, sinking to the bottom. Along came a princess, who happened to be in the vicinity and was thirsty. As she leaned over to take a drink, a precious ring slip- ped off her ¿nger and sank to the bottom of the well. At this point, the maidservant did a little jig, exultant at her good fortune. When asked why she was so happy at the princess’s loss, she replied, “At ¿rst, I thought, who would possibly retrieve my pitcher for me. Now, however, that the princess lost her ring, for sure someone will go down and retrieve it for her, and with that my pitcher will be found as well.” My dear brethren, in general, we pray merely for our meager fare of personal needs. Whe- ther it is for livelihood, an apartment or a house, we are only concerned about our- selves. Instead, we should focus on our Father in Heaven, on the tremendous anguish there is over the exile of His children and the distress of the Shechinah.