The Manuscript and the Fire
When his son lay dying, Rav Heller offered his own manuscript to the flames, and Heaven answered.
A story ofRav Gershon Shaul Yomtov Lipman Hellerהרב גרשון שאול יום טוב ליפמן בן נתן הלרProfile ›
Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Greenwald of Budapest related that Rav Heller's son Shmuel once lay unconscious and fading. Watching his son slip away, Rav Heller opened the chest in which he kept his writings and drew out the still unprinted manuscript of his Mishnah commentary.
Holding it, he called out to Heaven that if there had been any pride or personal pleasure in writing it, he was ready then and there to burn it. He built up the fire, and was just about to lay the pages in the flames when his son cried out, "Father, please do not burn it."
Rav Heller rushed to the bed. Shmuel told him that his soul had been in the World of Truth, where he had watched the Heavenly court weigh his fate. Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi, who compiled the Mishnah, had risen to his defense. The father had written the Tosafos Yom Tov for the sake of Heaven, and had often reached the truth. Look, he said, how he is now willing to destroy it.
Shmuel's fever broke on the spot. The family prepared a festive meal and invited the town's rabbanim to rejoice with them.
Source: Yechabed Av (Moshe Menachem Walden's supplement to Shem HaGedolim HaChadash), p. 30b, as related by Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Greenwald (see also Shu"t Tirosh Yitzchak 215, citing the Chefetz Hashem of the Ohr HaChaim)
Rav Heller loved his sefer, yet he was ready to give it up the moment he feared that it carried even a trace of ego. Choose one thing you are proud of this week, a meal, a project or a piece of learning, and offer it to Hashem in a short sentence. Ask that it be done for His sake. Then let go of the need to be praised for it. Work done without that pull often carries more strength than work done to be seen.