Today | Rabbi Yechiel Spero

It was after World War II and there were 200 Yesomim who were in Italy, who had lost everything in their life, but they were still holding on. And they decided they wanted to make a Minyan for the Yomim Nora’im, for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. But they wanted an adult who could lead them. And they reached out and they found an older Yid who was broken, who had seen way too much in his life and now had nothing. They asked him if he could lead them and he said: I'm not a Rebbe, I’m not a Rav, I'm not a Rosh Yeshiva. And they said to him: R’ Yid, you're all we have. He agreed to come, and before תקיעת שופר, they asked him if he could speak. He stood up, he looked around, and he broke down, crying. He couldn't speak. And they cried along with him. And that happened on the second day, as well. But Erev Yom Kippur, they said, Please, just give us a few words. And so, before Kol Nidrei, he got up to speak. He said: Kinderlech, The שר של גיהנום, the officer of Gehenom, who was in charge, called a meeting, and he said: My dear advisors, we have a problem. Gehenom is empty. There's no one here, anymore. Everybody who's died over the last few years has been נהרג על קידוש השם, they gave up their lives, they went to the highest spheres of Gan Eden. What are we going to do? Enrollment is low. One of the advisors suggested: Introduce them to the תאווה for money. Money’s at stake, people will fight, people will go at each other, they'll speak badly about one another. He said: No, no, no. These people, they just want to survive. They just want bread and water. They said: What about anger? What about jealousy? All of the suggestions were shot down. And one advisor piped up and he whispered into the ear of the שר של גיהנום, and the שר של גיהנום said, That's it. We will introduce them to the Yetzer Hara of... You want to put on Tefillin? Maybe tomorrow. Want to keep Shabbos? Try me next week. Want to open a Gemara? It's been so long. Maybe in a month or two. And he looked over the crowd and he looked at the children and he said, Would you like to rebuild your life? Try me in a little while. And he started to cry, and he said: Kinderlech, don't wait. Seize the moment. Tomorrow belongs to the Yetzer Hara, but today is yours for the taking. וגעו כל העם בבכייה they burst out crying, and so many pointed to that moment, the moment that they would rebuild their lives. Vayimaen teaches us that we cannot be just on the defense. We can't just say: Next time I'll be a little more careful. Today, I will not do this, I will not do that, I will not walk there, I will not look there. Make the commitment now, because you own today. You've conquered so much and you'll continue to. Push it off till tomorrow, there's no telling what can happen. You have the power. You have the strength. You'll be able to do it. But do it... today.