“From Tishrei to Tishrei, Except Tishrei” — The Secret of the Month of Tishrei

“From Tishrei to Tishrei, Except Tishrei” — The Secret of the Month of Tishrei

This story, as an example of acquiring bitachon, is often told at the Yodei Binah Yeshiva. It appears in the book U'Piryo Matok by Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein (shlita), son-in-law of Rav Elyashiv (zt”l) and father of Rabbanit Leah Kook. To withstand these difficult times, we need faith that everything sent by the Almighty is for our good. Only bitachon—complete trust in the Kadosh Baruch Hu—can give us the peace of mind and strength to endure whatever is sent our way. One of the students at a yeshiva had a friend who was just beginning his journey toward teshuvah. His chupah was approaching, and he suggested that his friends hold a small bachelor party before the wedding. His friends replied: “If we are going to have a bachelor party, then let’s do it on the Shabbat before the wedding and in a holy place—for example, Meron. We’ll rent a room, buy everything we need, and relax in holiness.” The young man hesitated: “I can’t afford to rent a room in Meron and buy food—the wedding is just around the corner, as you can imagine. This isn’t included in my budget. I can’t manage it.” His friends said to him: “Look, Chazal teach that Hashem: ‘From Tishrei to Tishrei—except Tishrei’ provides us with our livelihood for the entire year. ‘From Tishrei to Tishrei’ means that throughout the year we receive precisely the funds allocated to us for that year, while ‘except Tishrei’ refers to expenses beyond what was allotted to us that year. TiSHReI is a roshei teivot—an acronym formed from the first letters of: Torah, Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Yom Tov. This means that whatever a person spends on Torah, Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and the festivals is beyond what was allotted to him for the year, and the Almighty will reimburse him for all these expenses—He will fully return the entire amount. “So you can comfortably spend any amount on Shabbat—the Almighty will reimburse you in full.” The chatan initially smiled, as if to say, “There they go again, finding an excuse.” Then, after pausing for a while, he said: “Fine, let’s do it this way—you handle the preparations for Shabbat and buy everything you think is necessary, and then give me the receipts. I’ll pay,” he added ironically, “Let’s see how the Almighty reimburses me for this Shabbat.” After spending Shabbat in Meron, his friends presented the chatan with a bill for 388 shekels and 60 agorot. The young man could not suppress a smirk: “Will Hashem reimburse the 60 agorot too?” A week after the chupah, the bride’s parents came to visit the newlyweds. The father handed the young man an envelope as a gift. How surprised he was when he felt coins inside. The young son-in-law held out the envelope to his father-in-law: “What is this?” “A wedding gift for you,” his father-in-law replied. “You’re giving us coins as a wedding gift?” the young son-in-law could not resist saying sarcastically. “My son,” his father-in-law began apologetically... “We have a large family, the children have grown older, and now the time has come when there is one wedding after another, while we do not have enough money for a respectable gift. So my wife and I decided to give our children a symbolic amount consisting of the different denominations of banknotes and coins used in Israel. Isn’t that beautiful? We are giving our children the first currency of our country to enter their shared life together—as a symbol and an incentive to earn their own.” The groom opened the envelope and took out the neatly arranged bills: 200 shekels, 100 shekels, 50 shekels, and 20 shekels. Then he emptied out all the coins and found coins worth: 10 shekels, 5 shekels, 2 shekels, 1 shekel, 0.5—half a shekel—and 10 agorot. Unable to believe his eyes, he exclaimed: “This can’t be! There are 388 shekels and 60 agorot here.” Needless to say, through this lesson in hashgachah pratit, the young man received a powerful boost in strengthening his faith. For our sages taught: “The L-rd, blessed be He, said: ‘Open for Me an opening the size of a needle’s eye, and I will open for you gates through which wagons and carriages can pass.’” (Yodei Binah Yeshiva, based on U'Piryo Matok by Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein)