A Second Of Life

From revach.net

On the last Yom Kippur of his life, the Gaon, Rav Yehudah Leib Chasman, z’tl, the mashgiach of Yeshivas Chevron, returned to his house after neilah, due to his weakness from the fast. A minyan of bochurim accompanied him. Rav Chasman’s face was shining was happiness that he was zocheh to complete the fast. As the bochurim sat down to await the time to daven Maariv, Rav Chasman shared  an insight from Yonah.

Rav Chasman said, “Yona Hanavi told the men on the ship to ‘lift me and throw me into the sea.’ The words ‘lift me’ seems to be extra. What was Yona adding with these words? Wouldn’t it have been enough if he said only, ‘Throw me into the sea’?


“The answer is that Yona was requesting that they delay throwing him into the sea as much as possible – even for a split second. Because there is nothing more valuable in the world than the life of a human being. Even when death has already been decreed, it’s still worthwhile to lengthen one’s life as much as possible. Who knows how valuable the life of person in his last moments!

The mashgiach concluded, “We have to understand that we now still have another moment of kedushas Yom Kippur! Come, let us grab hold of it, do not weaken! Let us not lose this precious stone without a thought!