The Loose Button

It is told that during his travels in America, Rav Elchonon made an appointment with a man we will call Philip Goldstein, whom he had known in cheder as a boy. Mr. Goldstein now owned a coat factory, had long since left Jewish life and rarely gave to Torah institutions. The two old friends shared memories and spoke about what each had done since. Then Rav Elchonon rose to leave.

Mr. Goldstein was confused and asked whether he had come for something. Rav Elchonon said that he had, because a button on his coat was loose and he knew that Mr. Goldstein had a coat factory. An employee was called and tightened all the buttons. Mr. Goldstein pressed him to say what the real reason for his visit was, but Rav Elchonon insisted it had been the button, thanked his friend and left.

The next day Mr. Goldstein called him back, agitated. Nobody travels from Europe to America to fix a button, he said, and he asked whether Rav Elchonon had really come to ask for money for his yeshivah.

Rav Elchonon answered with a question. “You cannot accept that I came all this way just to tighten a few buttons. Why do you think Hashem sent you down to this world? Just to sew a few buttons? I traveled a few thousand miles, but you came from beneath the Throne of Glory. Was it only for this?”