It Paid Off

In the Soloveitchik family, the custom was not to visit the cemetery. Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik said that he violated the custom but it paid off.

He used to visit his wife's grave after she passed away. One time as he was leaving, a man who saw him approached and asked him to say a tfilla next to the grave of a relative. This man didn't know who he was and thought that he was the shammes. Rav Soloveitchik agreed. He then said "My mother in law's grave is over there. Maybe you can say a prayer there, too?" Rav Soloveitchik agreed. He then asked Rav Soloveitchik to say a tfilla for another relative. After all this, he pulled out a twenty dollar bill and gave it to the Rav. He said it was not necessary and refused to accept it. The man thought that it wasn't enough so he gave him 100 dollars. The Rav politely refused that as well.

He then saw the Rav getting into a cab and thought that if he was really a poor shammes he wouldn't be taking  cab. So he entered the office there and asked who that man was. He was told "Oh, that was Rabbi Soloveitchik, the Chief Rabbi of America!!"

The man went to Maimonidies [the school headed by the Rav] and gave a thousand dollar donation. From the next year on he sent a thousand dollars every year.

So you see, related Rav Soloveitchik, I broke the family tradition of not going to cemeteries but it paid off:).

[Heard from Rav Schachter Shlita]