Rabbi YY Jacobson - A Life of Caring

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Look out for others' needs even when you have little yourself, as the story of a rabbi's extra matzahs during the 1945 Passover illustrates. The Skulener Rebbe, who had only a limited supply of matzah in postwar Chernovitz, gave up his own last matzah to a Jewish woman, and his caring was matched by the Sadigura Rebbe, who had anticipated this and secretly set aside matzah for him, delivered by his son.

Key Points

• The Skulener Rebbe in Chernovitz was allowed by the government to bake a limited amount of matzah for Passover 1945, and he offered one matzah to any Jew wanting to hold a Seder and three to any public Seder leader.
• The Sadigura Rebbe's son, Rabbi Yehudah Lehager, asked three separate times for extra matzahs for his father and his disciples, pressing repeatedly on behalf of the refugees.
• The Skulener Rebbe at first refused, saying extra matzah would leave someone else without, but eventually gave the extra three matzahs.
• Hours before the Seder, the Skulener Rebbe gave away his own last matzah to a Jewish woman who needed one for her Seder.
• The Sadigura Rebbe anticipated this and had secretly set aside three extra matzahs for the Skulener Rebbe, delivered by his son with the message "Have an amazing holiday."

Details Worth Noting

• Concrete instructions: No step-by-step instructions were given. The actionable lesson is to give generously to others in need, and to hold back something for people who may later need it, as the Sadigura Rebbe did.
• The Skulener Rebbe's words, "I would love to, but there's such a limited amount of matzah," show the tension between generosity and scarcity that the story is built around.
• The Sadigura Rebbe's son is named Rabbi Yehudah Lehager in the transcript as "Clara Rabbit" and "Marsha Lahager," which are likely transcription variants of the same name.

Bottom Line

Quiet, anticipatory kindness, like the Sadigura Rebbe setting aside matzah for someone who had already given away his own, can matter as much as the initial act of giving.