Context:

This Shabbat: Parashat Tazria–Metzora

In connection with the verse:

“On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised” (Leviticus 12:3)

the following story is told:

This story is drawn from Chassidic tradition and centers around a humble mohel — a person who performs circumcisions — whose quiet acts of faith and service earned him heavenly honor.

Though simple in appearance, his sincerity and self-sacrifice left a deep spiritual fragrance.

The Tale:

Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin once had a vision in which he was shown a radiant place in Gan Eden — not reserved for a sage or scholar, but for a modest man known only as “the mohel.”

Curious, Rabbi Chaim asked what made this man so worthy.

He was shown a scene:

The mohel worked all day to earn a meager living, selling simple herbs and vegetables, including parsley, in a small village market. His hands were rough, his clothes simple. Yet, every day, he served his customers with honesty and kindness.

At night, after a long day of labor, he would try to open a sefer (a Torah book). But fatigue always overcame him.

He never made it past a page. But every night, he lit his lamp and tried.

Heaven declared:

“This man’s effort, this tiny spark of devotion, rises before the Throne of Glory like incense.

It is not just the scent of parsley.

It is the scent of self-sacrifice.”

Explanation:

This story reminds us:

1. Heaven values intention. Even if the study is brief or incomplete, trying with a full heart matters.
2. Simple work done honestly is holy. His trade was not glamorous, but he upheld truth and kindness in every interaction.
3. The mohel’s true greatness wasn’t in public acclaim, but in quiet acts of service — and his longing for Torah, even when he lacked the strength.