Rabbi Yechiel Spero
Artscroll
It started like any other day. Joseph Sasson, a 9-year-old boy who lived in London, left his house in the morning, and his parents packed him a delicious lunch and helped him with his backpack. He scampered out of the house and ran toward the bus. But when they came to pick him up later that afernoon, they were shocked to discover that he had never made it to school. At first, they thought Joseph had played hooky, although that kind of behavior was out of character; he was usually well behaved.
Of course, they were concerned about this misdemeanor, but they planned on admonishing him and hoping it would never happen again. However, an hour later, when they still had not heard from him, they began to panic. They called the school to ask the staff members to check if perhaps Joseph had hidden somewhere inside the school. After a thorough search, the school administrators came up with nothing. Mr. and Mrs. Sasson alerted the police. Before long, a full-blown search was underway. Joseph’s mother and father sat in their kitchen, shedding bitter tears. Where was he? Where could he have gone. Mr. and Mrs. Sasson alerted the police. Before long, a full-blown search was underway. Joseph’s mother and father sat in their kitchen, shedding bitter tears. Where was he? Where could he have gone? Why did he run away from home? He was always so happy at home. Something was wrong. Something did not make sense. The local investigators in London met with Mr. and Mrs. Sasson and then determined that Joseph had not run away. In fact, they feared he was kidnaped. This caused Joseph’s parents to become more alarmed. Who kidnaped him? What could the motive possibly be? The London police met with Joseph’s parents and encouraged the Sassons to send out search teams.
They also recommended that Mr. and Mrs. Sasson appear on television and other media sources and offer to pay a ransom for their son. They hoped that Joseph’s father, Mr. Benjamin Sasson, a man of means, would be able to pay the ransom. Of course, that was assuming that the sole reason for kidnaping Joseph was for the money. Before Benjamin agreed to appear before the media, someone suggested that he fly to Israel to meet with the great Baba Sali, Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeira. As a Sephardic Jew, Mr. Sasson had sought guidance from the pious leader before. Perhaps the sage would be able to help the distraught father. A few hours later, Benjamin was on a flight to Israel. From the airport, he took a taxi to Netivot, the home of the Baba Sali. He cried his heart out as he told his story and described his dilemma. What should they do? Should they appear before the media and offer a ransom? Although Joseph’s father was hysterical, Baba Sali maintained his composure as always. After listening carefully, he recommended that Mr. Sasson go to the Baba Sali’s son, Baba Meir, who lived in Ashdod. He assured him that his son was a very righteous individual and that he was the one who could help him. Confident in the reassurances he had just received, Mr. Sasson took a taxi to Ashdod. He repeated his tale to Baba Meir and asked him for a blessing that he find his son immediately. However, instead of giving his blessing, Baba Meir opened a map of the city of London, a city which he had never visited, and he closed his eyes. After concentrating deeply for a few moments, he placed his finger on the map and began moving it to a specific location. Finally, he opened his eyes and indicated the spot where his finger was placed. “Your son is right here, and you don’t have to worry. He is safe.”
Mr. Sasson looked incredulously at Baba Meir. He had so many questions. But none of them were important at the moment. Only one thing mattered: Finding his son. He quickly picked up the phone and called his wife in London, and spoke to the authorities who were standing right near her. Within a few short moments, Joseph was discovered, exactly where Baba Meir had said, safe and sound. Soon, Joseph was reunited with his mother, and she held him tightly in her arms. Although he was terrified, he was finally safe. When he had calmed down enough to speak, Joseph told his story. He was on his way to the bus that he always boarded at the end of his street, when a car with two men pulled up next to him and asked him if his father’s name was Benjamin. When he replied in the affirmative, they grabbed him and shoved him into a car. They brought him to a nearby warehouse, where the thugs gagged him and tied his hands. They warned him that he better stay put, but then they went into the next room and drank lots of whiskey. Before long, they were completely drunk. Joseph described how he was able to wiggle free and then run for his life, until he had come to an alleyway where he found an empty building and managed to slip inside. Since then, he was just waiting there quietly, hoping that someone would find him and save him. Benjamin listened on the phone from Baba Meir’s house as Joseph described what had happened. When Joseph finished speaking, Benjamin told his son that he loved him and that he would see him very soon. Afterward, Mr. Sasson asked Baba Meir how he knew that Joseph was hiding in the empty building — if he had never even seen the streets of London before. Baba Meir shrugged, and dismissed it as nothing.
But when Rav Shabsi Yudelevitch, a famous maggid, retold this story, he explained, “Is it any wonder that he was able to see from one end of the world to the other? When someone keeps his eyes clean and pure, there is no limit to the distance he can see.”
This dramatic story contains several lessons. First, we must have faith and belief in the power of our righteous and G-d-fearing leaders. In addition, we must realize that our own shortcomings are what limit us. Our eyes can see only a limited amount, because we don’t guard them the way we should. If we watched the way we spoke, our words would be more potent and our prayers would be more powerful. With a little more care, there is no telling what we could accomplish.
