Learning From Mistakes

Learning From Mistakes

Yesterday I took a fall, I think it was the first time since childhood.

Almost flat on my face, I banged my knee, but B”H, no damage. On the way out from my building I noticed there was a puddle of water on the ground, and it looked like it dripped from a leak, so I looked up to try to determine from which floor the water dripped, whether it is coming from my apartment or not. I searched for a long time, but I couldn’t figure it out, and ultimately I gave up, and I went down what I remembered was the last step in the staircase, but unfortunately I remembered wrong, there were two steps remaining, and so, bam!

Anyway I dusted myself off and when I got to the Bais Medrash someone approached me and said, “wow, you must have leaned against a wall which was all dusty”.

I don’t know exactly how the back of my jacket got filthy but it did. So I told him the story.

He answered, “so then let’s see what we can learn from it!”

So we started talking about various scenerios of where a person is looking up trying to grab high levels, yet he doesn’t even know what he is doing with his body downstairs.

Lelover Rebbe Davens at Kosel

I once heard a story told at Shalosh Se’udas, I think that it was about the previous Lelover Rebbe, I might be mistaken, but I think so. He was davening at the Kosel (Kotel) after 1967 but before they made the plaza. His bags and things were back some 30 meters; resting next to a building. The Gabais were mulling around, and they didn’t notice that a, a, well, a non-Jewish local started rummaging through the Rebbe’s things to see if there was anything to pilfer. Suddenly the Rebbe turned around and started yelling “Nu Nu”. The fellow got frightened and ran away.

Afterwards the Gabais asked the Rebbe how did he notice while davening at the Kosel what was going on 30 meters behind? The Rebbe answered, “G-d forbid if you have a Rebbe that knows what’s doing in Heaven but doesn’t know what’s going on down here.”