Belief

How Yaakov’s faith in Yosef sparked self-confidence, resilience, and a legacy of blessing. Uncover the power of belief this Shabbos.

Rav Avraham Grodzynski, the Mashgiach of Slabodka, guided the yeshiva through the tumultuous years following the passing of the Alter, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel. He continued in this role through the early years of the Holocaust until his brutal murder by the Nazis.

In 1940, during a talk of chizuk to his talmidim, Rav Grodzynski lamented that something had been missing in the yeshiva and the town of Slabodka since the Alter’s passing. He began to explore what had been the secret charm of the Alter – the unique quality that seemed impossible to replicate. He realized that the Alter’s secret wasn’t merely his profound wisdom; it was his ability to believe in others.

The Alter saw potential where others saw none. Every student felt it—an unshakable confidence and a vision of greatness reflected back at them. It was this belief in his students that transformed Slabodka into a greenhouse of greatness, producing individuals who blossomed into their fullest selves. Slabodka was an outlier, a pl…