Sunday, February 23, 2014

Lost Wallet

Consecutive weeks of traveling to meetings along freeways across the United States were coming to an end. I returned the rental car to the agency at Kennedy Airport. As part of the service of the rental agency they provided a shuttle to transport the travelers to their designated terminals. Happy and satisfied I stood at the shuttle stop longing for my family in Israel when suddenly a men dressed in Muslim outfit turned to me and said that he was short a few dollars to fill the gas tank of the rental car.

As a general rule: The renter receives a car with a full tank of gas and he must return it to the agency the same way he received it. If not – the rental agency collects an excessive amount from the renter.

I hesitated for a few seconds, but then decided that this was an opportunity to perform a good dead . I reached for my wallet, but for some reason it was not in that pocket. I continued to search my other pockets in order to find the wallet and give the men what he requested – but the wallet was missing!! Perhaps check the suit? In the suitcase? Again I checked the shirt pocket… but the wallet was missing.

I searched in all my bags under terrible pressure because there was a lot of money in the wallet, the passport, international credit cards and many other important and valuable items. Since I could not find it in my bags, I hurried back to the rental car, perhaps I would find my lost wallet. When I reached the counter it turned out that the keys had already been given to the maintenance crew for cleaning and washing prior rental to the next customer.

Frantically, I ran to the parking lot and when I reached it I noticed that all the car doors were open to facilitate cleaning. I called out to the worker and asked him to wait a little and I began searching the car. After a few tense moments, I found what I was looking for under the car seat wrapped in black plastic – exactly in the condition I had left it with nothing missing. Had it been a few minutes later, the story would have had a different ending. Had I refused the man, I would not have been able to board the plane since the passport was in the wallet.

This is just another lesson for me, another message to teach all of us to bring Kindness and G-d's light into our lives.

Shmuel Winzelberg

י.ו.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Lives Saved by a Screaming Woman

Rabbi Henry & Rebbetzin Esther Soille were in their apartment in Paris when they heard a scream. They recognized it as neighbor of theirs - a non-Jewish woman. Feeling the terror in the woman's voice, Mrs. Soille said,”Lets get dressed and go help her." Rabbi Soille agreed and added, "If we wait that long she may be dead by then." So, they immediately ran outside, dressed only in their pajamas to help.       
 
When they got outside they saw a Nazi car coming toward their building so they dashed out of sight. From their hiding place they could see that the Gestapos were going to none other than their own apartment. Had they not responded with sensitivity and courage to the anguished cries of their neighbor, they would have still been in their apartment for the Nazis to find them and drag them off. Because they engaged in a chesed (act of kindness), their own lives had now been spared.
 
Why was the woman screaming? They later learned that the woman neighbor was screaming because the Nazis had come to seize her husband for smuggling. She told them to spare her husband and take the Rabbi next door instead.
 
Her intention was to trade the Rabbi's life for her husband's life. It didn't even help her because they still took her husband. In attempting to betray the Rabbi, she actually saved him...  (©2014. Printed with permission from Rabbi Baruch Lederman, author of Shulweek www.kehillastorah.org.) 

Monday, February 3, 2014

A Baby’s Carriage

A few years ago my friend and her husband were dealing with financial crises. They lost their business during Hurricane Sandy.  After 6 months of unpaid bills, they were forced to leave the apartment and move to their parents’ house. This is when my friend found out that she was pregnant. The day came and they welcomed a healthy baby boy. My husband was honored to perform the circumcision for their son.

A few days after, my husband went to their house to change the bandages for the baby. While my husband was at the house, the father was pumping the tires of the baby’s stroller. Unfortunately, he put too much air and both tires blew up. The wife was very upset because they did not have money to buy a new 'Bugaboo" stroller. My husband ended up being in the middle of the argument between two of them. He felt very uncomfortable and tried to appease both sides. He offered to help to try to find a similar carriage on sale or perhaps call the company to see if they would exchange the frame of the stroller. Both men tried to calm my friend down but she was inconsolable.

The next morning, my husband was on his way to synagogue when he spotted a stroller right outside our apartment building. It was the exact brand “Bugaboo” stroller in absolutely perfect condition.  He couldn't believe his eyes. My husband brought it home and later that night took it to our friends’ house.  

Imagine how shocked our friends were when my husband walked in with the exact same stroller that was destroyed the day before. All three of them were overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. Certainly, never before or after did my husband find a “Bugaboo” stroller next to our apartment building.


Small miracles happen every day. All we need to do is recognize these ‘messages’ and realize that there are no coincidences in our lives.   
By Leah Levy