One Good Turn Deserves Another
I was once invited to participate at a fundraising dinner for the purpose of providing kimcha d’Pischa for the poor of France, as well as supporting the kollel of Mori v’Rebbi, Harav Binyomin Zev Kaufman, shlita, of England. This man is a tzaddik and a talmid chacham, whose mouth never ceases to utter words of Torah. I had learned under his tutelage in Yeshivat Netzach Yisrael in Sunderland.
Throughout the entire evening, I couldn’t help but notice this venerated Sage keep glancing at his watch. It seemed that he was in a big hurry to get somewhere. I asked him about it, but he politely declined replying. In truth, my question was superfluous. I knew only too well how precious the Rav’s time is to him. His only interest is studying Torah.
Since I sincerely wished to alleviate his discomfort, I offered to donate the entire amount that would have been raised at this dinner. I repeated the exact amount of money that I pledged to contribute to his yeshiva, knowing that this was what he would have managed to raise in Paris during his visit there. When the tzaddik heard this, his eyes lit up. He joyously exclaimed, “Now I will be able to return to my regular routine of Avodat Hashem without having to go knocking on the doors of potential donors.”
After reflecting a moment, he asked, “But what about the plight of France’s poor?”
“That is my problem.”
I knew that I was taking a massive project upon my own shoulders. Of course, I should have known that Hashem’s shoulders are boundlessly broad. Just at that moment, a man came over to me and whispered in my ear that he would like to donate a respectable sum of money to our holy institutions. What makes this episode most incredible is that the amount he specified was the exact amount that I had offered to donate to my Rebbi’s kollel in Manchester. My only misgivings were that I hadn’t doubled my offer, for Hashem would certainly have ensured I would gain whatever amount I needed.
When I got home, I told my wife the entire episode. In her virtuous way, she suggested I donate an additional sum to Rabbi Kaufman’s yeshiva. I phoned Rabbi Kaufman to inform him of this decision. He was extremely grateful.
To our utter amazement, the phone rang immediately afterward. On the other end of the line was a wealthy friend of our institutions, who pledged the same amount of money that I had offered just moments earlier.
This train of incidents clearly showed me that whoever is diligent in mitzvah performance, specifically the mitzvah of tzedakah, is guaranteed to be paid back. Hashem loves those who are charitable with His people and takes care of their needs. He repays them from His treasury, in duplicate and triplicate.
