Two Acceptances, One Marriage By Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein zt”l,

 As I am accustomed, every year before going up to Meron on Lag Ba’Omer, I visit my Rebbe, R’ Gamliel Rabinowitz. Two years ago, he said to me, “Accept something upon yourself, and whatever you need, Hashem will answer you.”

With me that year was my youngest daughter, Hindi. “If you’d like to become a kallah,” R’ Gamliel added, “go up to Meron with your father, accept something upon yourself, write it down, and keep to it very closely. You will see, that next year on Lag Ba’Omer, you will know your chassan.”

What surprised her and my entire family was that R’ Gamliel said that on the very day of Lag Ba’Omer, she will know her who she will marry. And that is exactly what happened. One year later, on Lag Ba’omer, she got engaged.

But Hindi never told her chassan anything about what had transpired with R’ Gamliel and her personal kabbalah.

Until the night of her engagement, she mentioned to her chassan what had happened. “So what did you accept upon yourself?” he asked. Although she had told no one else, she confided in him. “I accepted that five minutes before Shabbos I would be ready.” Her chassan was speechless. “What? What did you say?” he asked, fumbling his words. “I accepted upon myself that five minutes before Shabbos I would be ready.”

“You are not going to believe this,” he said. “Last year, I also went to R’ Gamliel, and he told me, ‘If you want to know who your kallah is on next year’s Lag Ba’omer, accept something upon yourself.’ After I was told this, I wrote down on a piece of paper that from now on, I will make sure that I am ready five minutes before Shabbos.”

They had both accepted to do the same thing without knowing about each other. Lag Ba’omer is an especially auspicious day to take something new on and commit to it. And it really works.

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Published in recognition of rebbe’s first yartzheit.

 Adapted from The TorahAnytimes newsletter, Parshat Emor 5781, published on the 19th of Iyar, 5781; May 1, 2021. Compiled and edited by Elan Perchik.