By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com One would have thought that the story was made up, if not for the unimpeachable source of it – HaGaon HaRav Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein shlita. THE STORY It happened in Eretz Yisroel in a mixed section of Bnei Brak –  a few years ago.  An elderly gentleman invited two of his grandsons, cousins, for the Pesach Seder.  After four cups of some high-alcohol-content-wine (port perhaps?), these two young men proceeded to do something that constitutes a desecration of the Divine Name. They were young. They were pure. They were new. They were drunk. Unable to sleep, these two cousins decided to go out into the streets of the city and find someone who had not yet fulfilled the Mitzvah of Achilas Matzah.  The goal?  They wanted to convince him of the importance of fulfilling this Biblical Mitzvah. Until they came across this young man whom we shall call, “Ofer” – sitting on a garden bench. They said to him, “Gut Yom Tov!  Did you eat a k’zayis of Matzah this evening?” “Ofer” responded forcefully and said, “Matzos?!  Who are you??  What are you doing!  What is this, religious coercion?!  NO!  I DID NOT EAT MATZAH TONIGHT!! Nor do I want to eat Matzah tonight!!  You are a bunch of #!&!! !   @^&!!” They tried convincing him to eat the Matzah saying, “Don’t you know that had we not been redeemed by the Divine Hand from Mitzrayim – we would still be slaves there?” He responded, “I don’t want to eat the Matzah nor do I wish to see you!” They forced the Matzah down his throat. What they did was horrible and inexcusable – even if they were drunk.  It is the type of action that gives religious Jews a bad name and cannot ever be justified.  He followed them home, cursing them out the entire time. It was both horrific and bizarre. And then came the court case. THE INCIDENT But before we get to the details of the court case, an incident that happened six months later: “Ofer” receives a registered letter from a lawyer.  He is summoned to a meeting with his entire family.  He does not know what is flying.  What is going on?  He does not know. He arrives at the meeting. His entire extended family is present.  The lawyer begins: “You are all well-aware that you had a very wealthy aunt that lived in the United States.” They all nodded. “Well, there is bad news and good news.  The bad news is that she has passed away.  The bright side is that she left a multi-million dollar inheritance to the family – with one caveat. In her will, she wrote:  ‘I fondly recall how my parents were steadfastly observant Jews and I and my brother had left the path of Torah.  In the past few years, I began to reflect upon these things with great regret.   I came to the conclusion that the purpose of life is not to amass great wealth – but rather to fulfill Hashem’s will.. I am not planning on splitting the inheritance among my relatives. Rather, I am leaving it all to the relative that is closest to religious observance.. Since I am writing this will close to the holiday of Passover, and […]

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