The guest was thrilled with the opportunity of meeting the luminary that the whole world valued with such reverence. When he entered the house he was astonished by the simplicity and modesty by which the great man lived. He expressed his thoughts by saying: 'Your Honour, is it befitting a man of your stature to live in such poor and humble conditions? With my own money I wish to build you a grand house, which you deserve.'

The Hafetz Hayim heard the comment and as if ignoring it proceeded to enquire about the life of his guest: 'Do tell me about your own home.'

The guest enthusiastically went into detailed description of his luxurious house, all its grand features and his expensive belongings.

'And where do you stay while visiting here?'

The guest has mentioned the name of a modest hostel.

'What?' -- wondered the Hafetz Hayim -- 'After your description of your home and the importance you place upon luxurious living, how is it possible that you stay in a simple hostel like this?'

'Oh, Your Honourable Rabbi -- said the American guest -- I am here only for a very short period of time, only on my way, so the living conditions are of little consequence to me, but in my permanent home, of course, things are totally different.'

'I see -- said the Rabbi and pointed his finger upwards -- You see, I am also here only temporarily and on the way to my permanent home, but in my permanent home all will be different.'

The wonderful idea is at the core of the commandment of sitting in a Succah which is interpreted in the Gemarah as a lesson of how one should live (sitting -- yosher = gar = live).

It comes to teach us that we must look upon life here as being only temporary, short route to a life of eternity.

A person who realizes it obtains a right attitude to life; he or she becomes aware of what is important and what is not and would invest all their effort in the essential rather than mundane. Such person will put all their strength and talents in what really matters, never hurt a fellow man and avoid strife, evil tongue, gossip and anger and stop running after excessive material gains...

Who was the renowned Rabbi Hafetz (or Chofetz) Hayim (1838-1933)?

His real name was Israel Meir HaCohen, but the name he is famous by is Hafetz Hayim, a name which was given to him because of his work which emphasized what good people should do everything possible throughout their lives to ensure that they may enjoy good, as depicted in Psalms 34; 13-14:

"Who is the man who desires life (Hafetz Hayim) and hopes for many days in which he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile, depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it."

Hafetz Hayim's writings, of which the best known is MISHNAH BRURA (Clear Teaching) deals with the topics of proper and decent behaviour as described in the verses above, avoiding gossip and pride, being careful not to lose one's temper...

He was born in Poland (Zhelad, Hrodno Guberniya, today Belarus) in 1838. Until the age of ten he was taught by his parents before moving to Vilna. He refused the pulpit and drew his income from a grocery store which his wife has managed. He had a special feeling for the poor and the common person and was happy to teach such people.

His reputation grew rapidly. Students from all over Europe came to his house, which was extremely modest, to learn from him.

He was one of the founders of Agudat Israel -- an ultra-orthodox movement. He published 21 books of which the first 'Sefer Hafetz Hayim' (1873). It attempts to clarify all the Jewish laws regarding evil talk and gossip. On the same topic he also wrote another book 'Shmirat Halashon' ('Guarding One's Tongue').

If you wish to hear beautiful songs whose words are based on Psalms 34, you can find them on YouTube under: 'MI HA-ISH HA-HAFETZ HAYIM'.

The Spiro family has a special connection to the Hafetz Hayim as the family tradition has it that Benny Spiro (Robin's uncle) went in the 30s to rescue Rabbi Hafetz Hayim's papers.