A Captivating Conclusion
One day, a gentile appeared at the yeshiva in Lyon with a horrific story. His daughter had suddenly disappeared. He assumed she had been kidnapped, but he had no clue as to her whereabouts. A number of his friends advised him to come to our yeshiva and request the blessing of the Rabbi. Since he had faith in the blessing of the tzaddikim, he complied with their suggestion.
After hearing his tale, I instructed him to light a candle in memory of Rabbi Chaim Pinto every day of the coming week. He did as I told him. A week passed. And then the incredible occurred. On Motza’ei Shabbat, the phone rang in his house. His daughter was on the line. “Father,” she cried, “my male friend so-and-so has been holding me in captivity since Sunday. He just left to buy cigarettes, so I took the opportunity to call and tell you where I am.”
To say her parents were delighted to hear from her would be an understatement. They immediately set out to the address she had given them. They arrived at the house just as the young man was returning from purchasing the cigarettes. When he noticed her parents driving up, he fled for his life.
After the girl was safely back home, she confided in her parents that she did not know why the boy did not do as he pleased, against her will. It seemed that something was preventing him from executing his evil designs.
The next day, this family hosted a huge banquet in the yeshiva to demonstrate their gratitude for the open miracle. They had no doubt that it was the merit of the tzaddik Rabbi Chaim Pinto, in whose memory the father had lit candles, which protected their daughter.
All of the food they brought was distributed among the gentile workers of the yeshiva. But we merited seeing a tremendous kiddush Hashem, among Jew and gentile alike.
