All children have dreams of what they will be when they grow up. Every little boy wants to be a fireman or truck driver, and every little girl wants to be a nurse or morah. But not many people end up working in these jobs. Often the careers that excited us as children do not look so exciting once we are adults.
My father kept an old framed letter hanging in his office for years and told us the story behind it many times. My grandfather was an antique dealer, and he wanted my father to be a judge. During World War II, my father’s family lived in a small town in England, where my grandfather became good friends with Rabbi Dessler, zt”l.
Rabbi Dessler convinced my grandfather to send my father to Gateshead Yeshiva when he was about 16. After spending time in yeshiva, my father lost his yearning to be a judge. He wrote a letter to his parents explaining his desire to stay in yeshiva and become a rebbe. His mother sent my father’s letter to Rabbi Dessler and asked him what they should do. Should they give up their dream of their son becoming a judge so he could stay in yeshiva? Rabbi Dessler wrote back, encouraging them to allow my father to stay in yeshiva. Here are some lines from the letter: