A Precious Mitzvah for a Cheap Price
In Elul 2005, we made our yearly trip to the gravesites of the tzaddikim buried throughout Europe. When we had finished praying in the Ukraine, we hailed a taxi to rush us to the airport for a flight to Kiev. One of the passengers who had accompanied us on our travels turned to me and said, “Honored Rav, you should know that I owe you my life.” I asked for an explanation.
“A number of years ago, I came to you with my fiancée and asked that you bless our marriage. As we spoke with the Rav, you became aware that we intended to live under one roof until our wedding, because we could not afford two separate living quarters.
“You were very upset at hearing this, stating that the Torah categorically forbids it. Nobody is impervious to immorality, you explained, greatly agitated at the thought. You insisted that we find another place to rent until we were married. Hashem would surely help us find something affordable.
“At first, we tried arguing with the Rav. My betrothed, who wasn’t acquainted with the Rav, didn’t know what all the fuss was about. But after you explained everything to her and she saw how stubborn you were, she finally relented. We resolved to make the effort to do as you ordered.
“We spent hours upon hours seeking separate abodes at decent prices, but came up with nothing. Hashem observed our despair and came to our rescue. He arranged that we should meet up with someone who rents out apartments to people like us. He asked how much we were offering to pay, and we abashedly named a very low sum. But we were determined to obey the word of the Rav.
“The man was extremely impressed by our sacrifice for the laws of the Torah and offered to rent us both apartments for the absurd price of five hundred dollars.”
This couple managed to obtain two apartments so cheaply because of their steadfastness to the Torah. When Hashem saw this, He sent them supernatural help, enabling them to succeed in keeping the mitzvot properly.
