The Man Who Brought Mashiach
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I recently read a story from Rabbi Spiro’s latest book about a man named Shmouli.
Shmouli was in his mid-40s, facing hardship after hardship. He had lost his job, could barely support his family, and suffered from health problems—heart issues and breathing difficulties. Yet everyone knew him as Shmouli the Ma’amin. No matter what life threw at him, he always had emunah. He would say, “It’s from Hashem. I’ll be okay.”
Shmouli wasn’t a great Torah scholar, but his faith was extraordinary.
One day, someone suggested he speak with Rabbi Moshe Shapiro. “He could give you Kizook,” they said, “maybe elevate you spiritually.”
Shmouli hesitated. “He’s very busy, giving over 30 shiurim a week. He won’t have time for me.”
But he was reassured: Rabbi Shapiro makes time for people. So Shmouli went.
He sat with Rabbi Shapiro and shared his struggles—and his unwavering emunah. Rabbi Shapiro responded, “You are doing great. You can’t imagine how precious your emunah is. Hashem appreciates every day you maintain it, despite your hardships.”
This was the final year of Rabbi Shapiro’s life. Many people gathered in his apartment for Mishloach Manot, anticipating the Rabbi’s words during the siddur shiur. The room was full of scholars and students.
Shmouli quietly slipped in and sat in the back corner, wanting to go unnoticed.
Rabbi Shapiro began to speak. Everyone expected deep, complex words. But he started lightly:
“Very soon, Mashiach is going to come. And you know what will happen? All the great ones will line up to shake his hand, to tell him their accomplishments.”
Shmouli sat there, thinking he was invisible. Rabbi Shapiro continued:
“And here’s Shmouli, standing at the end of the line. When Mashiach finishes with everyone else, he will shake your hand. He will ask your name, and you’ll say, ‘Shmouli.’ And then he’ll ask, ‘What did you do?’”
Shmouli leaned in. Rabbi Shapiro smiled:
“And you’ll say, ‘I’m the one who brought you here.’ A simple man’s emunah, maintained through simple, everyday struggles, can bring Mashiach.”
Even ordinary lives, full of faith and perseverance, hold extraordinary power. Shmouli’s story reminds us that emunah—faith in action—is priceless, and can change the world.