Life is Precious

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

brary.) The Chofetz Chaim realized that his visitors were somewhat perplexed as to why he didn’t just buy the sefer as it appeared that he used it enough to warrant its purchase. The Chofetz Chaim then gazed upon the seforim that were in his room and turned to his visitors and said, “These seforim are more than forim cost money. No sefer just appears on this bookshelf by itself. Money is time. A person must set aside his time to earn money. Time is the very essence of life. Someone who buys seforim must cut out a portion of his life to buy them. In place of using one’s time to learn Torah himself, he uses it to buy seforim that will be really found in Gittin 47a. When Reish Lakish passed away, he left over some saffron as an inheritance to his children. He lamented about this and applied the following verse to himself, “The fool and the brutish together perish, and they left to others their wealth” (Tehillim 49:11). What upset Reish Lakish so much about the saffron? Why did he assume the verse applied to him? The answer is that Reish Lakish worked to earn a livelihood. He spent time earning funds to be able to purchase the saffron he needed. When Reish Lakish was about to die, he realized that the saffron was superfluous. He lamented that he wasted precious moments of his life trying to work for something that it turned out he didn’t need. enough. Why should I be concerned about seforim which I don’t have? I am already pained about the seforim which I actually own!”

Rav Kahanemen and Reb Elchonon were dumbstruck. What could the Chofetz Chaim mean that he is pained about holy seforim which he already owns?

The Chofetz Chaim continued after a moment and explained himself, “Se - put on a shelf. And those seforim don’t contain his own Torah but someone else’s Torah! Further, instead of the Torah being in one’s head, it is on the shelf!”

The Chofetz Chaim continued, “Even if one received a specific sefer as a gift, gifts may come with strings attached. Again, one must use his precious time in order to earn or pay back the gift of a sefer.”

The Chofetz Chaim said the above is

This is the lesson Rav Kahanemen continuously imparted to his students. Time is life! Live every moment to its fullest! (This article is based upon the story as recorded in Margoliyos Hashas.)