When You Attend A Wedding, Take The Bride Home

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]They tell a story about this 8-year-old boy who went to his first wedding with his parents. And when he gets to the wedding, he's looking around and he says to his father, "Dad, I know who the bride is. I can see the woman with the beautiful white gown. But who's the groom? All the men look identical.

[00:00:15]They're all wearing wearing black tuxedos."

[00:00:18]And the father said to the son, "Sonny boy, I'll tell you how you know who the groom is. At the end of the wedding, watch which young man goes home with the bride. Then you'll know who the groom is."

[00:00:28]We celebrated the holiday of Shavuot, which our rabbis compare to a marriage.

[00:00:33]We got wed to the Torah. God gave us his Torah. We're like the groom. The Torah is our bride.

[00:00:38]But this Shabbat, 1 week later, we're going to come to the synagogue and read Parshat Massei, which is the largest Torah portion in the entire Torah. As you know, the shortest Torah portion is Parshat Vayeilech, which has only 30 verses. And this week's Torah portion has 176 verses.

[00:00:58]And the question is, why is it after Shavuot we read the largest Torah portion? And the answer is, this shows that on Shavuot we didn't just attend someone else's wedding, but we are the groom. We're going home with the bride, with the Torah. And just like when the groom goes home with the Torah with the bride, he is with her forever, married to her. So too, we took the Torah on Shavuot and we will continue to learn Torah throughout our entire lives. And therefore, we come back and show our love and our continuation of Torah study that precisely after Shavuot, what better time than to read the largest Torah portion of the entire year?

[00:01:36]It says in Pirkei Avot, Mitzvah Goreres Mitzvah. One good deed leads to another good deed. Let me tell you a story that happened at Palm Beach Synagogue. A little over a year ago, a couple came to me and they told me their problem that unfortunately this gentleman has kidney failure and he needs a kidney donor to save his life.

[00:01:55]Well, I knew that one of our members, Ron Seidman, helped found an organization in New York called Renewal that matches people for altruistic kidney donations.

[00:02:06]So, he says, "Let me I said, 'Let me call Ron Seidman and see if he could call his friend Mendy Reiner who started Renewal.'"

[00:02:14]So, he calls Mendy Reiner to tell him that someone in this Palm Beach synagogue needs a kidney. Now, how did Mendy Reiner in Brooklyn, Borough Park, start Renewal? Well, his story was that one day he was in a doctor's office and he saw a young man who didn't look well and he started talking to him and he said he has kidney failure. He needs a kidney.

[00:02:36]Mendy went home, told his wife Zissy, "I have met this man. I have to try to help him." She said, "Why don't you put an ad in the paper who wants to donate a kidney altruistic donation?" He said, "Who would respond to an ad in the paper to give a kidney?" She said, "You have nothing to lose."

[00:02:53]Took a few ads in Jewish papers and sure enough he got dozens of responses and he realized that there are people so righteous they're ready to give away a kidney to a stranger. And he started Renewal and he's matched thousands of people and saved thousands of lives through altruistic kidney donations.

[00:03:09]So, Ron Seidman, member of PBS, calls Mendy Reiner within a few months they found this man a kidney. He went through a successful surgery and he recovered.

[00:03:19]Well, we decided to have a Shabbaton at Palm Beach synagogue for Renewal. We brought the donor from New Jersey who gave this kidney member Steve.

[00:03:27]And we brought in Mendy Reiner and we told the story.

[00:03:32]Well, everyone was very inspired. It was so beautiful to see this reunion between the donor and the recipient.

[00:03:40]But, one of the women in the shul was so inspired that she said, "You know what?

[00:03:45]Let me get myself tested swab to see I could maybe donate a kidney."

[00:03:50]And about a month ago she got a call that there's someone here in Florida who desperately needs a kidney to live.

[00:03:56]Would she give up her kid one of her kidneys?

[00:03:59]Well, today, as we speak, she's being rolled into the operating room for a surgery.

[00:04:05]And I want to ask everyone watching this to share it with others as well. To pray for Chana bas Sara to have a full successful surgery for both the donor and the recipient, for everyone to be healed and recover from this procedure.

[00:04:22]They should both go on to live long, happy, healthy lives as a reward of this generosity.

[00:04:29]But look how many mitzvot led to another mitzvah.

[00:04:32]One good deed leads to another good deed. First, Mendy Reiner said, "Let me help this man." His wife said, "Put an ad in the paper." Sure enough, there was a response.

[00:04:42]A kidney was donated. Ron Sedley helped him start the organization, which helped Steven and Herschel get a kidney. And now, as a result of that, another person is life is being saved through another kidney donation.

[00:04:56]But to me, the message is we all came to the Shabbaton. We were all inspired. But this woman said, "You know what? It's not enough to be inspired. I have to be the groom who marries the bride. I have to take it up the mitzvah home with me."

[00:05:11]And she swabbed and got tested. And today, she's giving up her kidney to save someone else's life. And for the rest of her life, she will live with one kidney. But more importantly, she will live with the mitzvah of having saved another life. She will have a new relative who her kidney will be functioning in someone else's body as the most generous, altruistic gift anyone can give. And the lesson for all of us is when you see something good, when you hear something good, when you experience something beautiful, don't just be satisfied to be a bystander or a witness. But like this woman is giving her kidney today, say to yourself, "How can I marry the bride? How can I go home with this mitzvah and keep it for myself? Not just for one day, but forever and ever."

[00:06:01]Looking forward to seeing everyone this Shabbat as we continue to celebrate our marriage to the Torah. Have a wonderful day.