The Special Shidduch

There was once a great talmid chochom, whose name was Reb Yaakov. Reb Yaakov had a very nice daughter who went to the best schools in town and had very good middos, etc.

It was soon time for Reb Yaakov’s daughter to find a shidduch and get married. Reb Yaakov wanted a very good chosson for his daughter.

Reb Yaakov wanted a smart talmid chochom to be his daughter’s chosson. How was he going to find such a bochur?

Well, Reb Yaakov had a plan. He was going to visit different yeshivos and ask all the bochurim a very difficult question. Whoever knew the answer, would become his daughter’s chosson.

So, Reb Yaakov and his question set out on their way to different yeshivos. The first yeshiva that Reb Yaakov arrived at, he gathered all the bochurim.

He then asked his question. This question was very difficult to answer. Nobody knew the answer. Some bochurim decided to look up the answer in different seforim—but none of the bochurim were able to find the answer.

So, Reb Yaakov had to leave this yeshiva and go on to another one.

At the next yeshiva, Reb Yaakov again gathered all the bochurim and asked them the question. But again, no one knew the answer.

Reb Yaakov’s question was a difficult question. It is no wonder no one was able to answer it. Still, Reb Yaakov knew that the right chosson for his daughter would know the answer.

Reb Yaakov continued travelling around to different yeshivos. At every yeshiva, the same thing repeated itself: Reb Yaakov gathered up all the bochurim, and asked them the question. But, Reb Yaakov still did not hear an answer.

Reb Yaakov went from yeshiva to yeshiva, but he was not able to find a chosson for his daughter.

One day, Reb Yaakov arrived at a certain large yeshiva. At this yeshiva too, no one was able to answer the question, so Reb Yaakov just had to go on to the next one.

Reb Yaakov left the yeshiva and started going down the road to the next yeshiva. As Reb Yaakov was riding down the street, someone was running after him.

Reb Yaakov looked to see who it was. It was one of the bochurim from the yeshiva. Reb Yaakov stopped his wagon and waited for the bochur catch up.

“Excuse me, I hope you do not mind, but can you tell me the answer to your question?” the bochur asked. "Please, I beg of you, tell me the answer to your question.”

Reb Yaakov smiled and said: "I want to tell you something: You are the right chosson for my daughter!"

"Why?" asked the bochur. "I do not deserve to marry your daughter. Just please, what’s the answer to your question?"

"Aha!" Reb Yaakov said. "I made up a question that is impossible to answer. I wanted to find a bochur who really wanted to know the answer to the question, whether or not he would get anything for it. That bochur would be my son-in-law.”

Reb Yaakov continued: “I went to many yeshivos and asked the question of all the bochurim. Of course, no one knew the answer. But then, you were the only one who came running after me to know the answer to the question.”

What do we learn from this story?

We should learn Torah, not for a reward but for the sake of the Torah itself.