ויאמר להם יעקב אחי מאין אתם (ויצא כט: ד)

And Yaakov said to them (the shepherds), my brothers, from where are you…

When the Ponezhever Rav zt’’l traveled to raise funds for the Ponezhever Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, he used a keyword to open the hearts and wallets of benefactors.  He used to address the Jews he visited as “Brothers, my dear friends…”

Someone once asked the Ponezhever Rav how he successfully raised funds for the Yeshiva. The Rav replied: “It says in the parsha that when Yaakov arrived to Charan, the shepherds were foreigners to him, and yet he addressed them, “אחי מאין אתם” – brothers, from where are you?” Though Yaakov reprimanded them for not giving their sheep water, they dutifully accepted rebuke from a stranger since he addressed them with brotherly love.

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