The Letter That Could Not Wait
Rav Chaim held that leaving a letter unanswered is a wrong, and his son testified that he answered everyone.
Rav Chaim Palagi's desk in Izmir was never empty. Questions in halacha came from North Africa, from Eretz Yisroel and from across Europe, and with them came the letters of ordinary people, a widow asking for advice, a merchant with a worry, a stranger who wanted a blessing. A man in his position could easily have let the pile wait for a quieter week.
He did not see it that way. In his Ginzei Chaim he wrote that putting off a reply is more than a lapse in manners. It is a fault against the Torah. Someone who sent a letter is waiting, and every day of waiting can bring him worry, and worry can wear down a person's health. He called ignoring a letter an act of cruelty and of arrogance, and he warned that Heaven repays such conduct measure for measure.
His son, Rav Avrohom, who sat beside him through those years, testified that his father lived by his own words. Letters from great rabbis and letters from the simplest people were all answered, and none was left to sit.
Those who wrote to the Chacham Bashi could count on one thing: their words would be read, and an answer would come.
Source: Ginzei Chaim (his own words), with the testimony of his son Rav Avrohom Palagi
Think of one message, call or note you have been postponing, perhaps from an older relative, a neighbor or someone who asked you for help. Do not wait for the perfect reply. Today, send a short and honest answer, even if it only says that you have received the message and will say more soon. You may be lifting a worry from someone who has been waiting longer than you realize.