A Peace Offering
When I was about twenty years old, I once stayed overnight at the home of the Look family in Morocco. The next morning, as I was preparing to leave, my host gave me a large sum of money. He said, “This is in honor of your father, who used to visit us often. He has not been to our house in years, so I was not able to offer him anything. Here, use this for your needs.”
At first, I declined his kind gesture. I told him I didn’t need so much money, but he insisted. Having no choice, I took the money and went on my way.
Many years later, his wife, Mrs. Tzipporah Look, related the details of the story: After I had left, she asked her husband why he offered such a huge sum to a young boy. He replied, “If his father, Rabbi Moshe Aharon Pinto would have been here, you would surely have agreed to part with this money. Why shouldn’t his son get it in his stead?” Then he added, “Try to remember the berachah we received from the tzaddik, Rabbi Moshe Aharon, before he moved to Eretz Yisrael. He blessed us with success in our business. Baruch Hashem, his blessing has borne fruit. Why shouldn’t the son reap pleasure from the blessing of his father?” But the woman would not be convinced that her husband did the right thing.
Suddenly, loud raps were heard at the door. An Arab stood in the doorway and asked the master of the house, “Mr. Look, do you recognize me?”
“Certainly!” Mr. Look responded. “I know your face! To the best of my memory, about ten years ago, I lent you money, which you never repaid.”
“That’s right,” the man affirmed Mr. Look’s words. “That is why I came today. Last night, I was warned in a dream that I must repay my debt, and if not, I would be punished terribly. Here is your money.” The man put the money on the table and left.
The couple began counting the money they had just received. Imagine their surprise at discovering the exact sum that Mr. Look had given me earlier that day! They realized it was Hashem’s hand at play. Peace returned to their abode.
I was very moved by this story. Father had devoted his life to pursuing peace. Heaven would not allow a rift to form between this couple on account of his son. For this reason, the Arab borrower had the dream to return the loan, thereby restoring their marital harmony.
- The Tzaddik, Rabbi Moshe Aharon Pinto, zy”a
