בין אדם לחבירו by Jeanie Bryskman

We are in the midst of ספירת העומר . Each and every one of us is called upon to make an effort to achieve the goal ואהבת לרעך כמוך.

There are so many instances in a single day where we either blurt out something hurtful that we don't mean, or say something caring that could "make someone's day."

Once, a student and a teacher studied a פירוש together. The young woman read a long paragraph an when she finished, the teacher "happened" to comment: "Wow, it was such a pleasure to hear you read. You did a beautiful job!"

YEARS later, that student came back to tell the teacher, "I have to thank you. I always had a reading problem, but I once read something to you and you complimented me on my reading." (The teacher had no idea that there was a reading disability- she wasn't her regular teacher.) "From that day on," the student continued, "the wall fell down and I never had a reading problem again!" Astounding - what a few kind "unintentional" words can do!

There's a story about the Chofetz Chaim. A young man went off the derech and started smoking on Shabbos. The Chofetz Chaim called him in for a "talk," and after awhile, everyone saw the change. There was so more smoking on Shabbos and the man became a בעל תשובה גמור.

Years later, the story was told in America of how the Chofetz Chaim had such a powerful impact on the bochur, yet no one knew what the Chofetz Chaim had actually said.

After the drasha, a man approached the speaker and said, "I was that bochur!"

"What was it that the Chofetz Chaim said to you?" asked the speaker.

"He didn't really say much. He took my hand in his and kept repeating through his tears, 'Shabbos! Shabbos!' His holy tear touched my hand and it has been burning me ever since!"

Know the power of a word!
The כח of a tear!
The השפעה of a smile!

- Regards from BTI