A Spoonful of Shabbos Soup
On a Friday afternoon, a frightened mother brought her gravely ill child to the Maharil, who fed him a spoonful of the hot Shabbos soup.
A story ofRav Moshe Yehoshua Yehuda Leib Diskin of Briskהרב משה יהושע יהודה לייב בן בנימין דיסקיןProfile ›
It is told that Rav Yisroel Dovid Braverman, as a small boy, fell ill with a sickness in his throat. The illness became so grave that his mother was afraid he would not live. The hour was erev Shabbos, minutes before shkiyah, and there was no time to waste.
In her desperation she gathered up her son and rushed next door to the Maharil Diskin. She begged him to save her child.
The Rav took the boy in his arms and went straight to the stove, where a pot of soup for Shabbos was simmering. He lifted a spoonful of it and fed it to the child.
The boy grew calm at once. In the hours and days after, his condition continued to improve until he recovered fully.
Chassidim relate this as one of the tzaddik's segulos for the sick. Yet it also shows the tzaddik at his neighbor's side in a moment of fear, ready to act without delay, and finding holiness even in a pot on the stove that had been prepared in honor of the Shabbos.
Source: Heichal HaShabbos, vol. I, p. 72
When someone in your life is frightened, the most important thing you can offer is a calm presence and a quick response. This week, think of one neighbor, relative or friend who might need you, and make it easy for them to ask. Say plainly that they can knock on your door at any time. When they do, drop what you are doing for a moment and meet them with steadiness. Your calm may be a cure of its own.