Joining Benefactor with Recipient
When I was in Paris, a woman approached me with her daughter’s wedding invitation. She bewailed her difficult financial situation. She did not have a cent for wedding expenses. She could not even afford to provide her daughter with the basic necessities with which to begin married life.
That day, I was scheduled to deliver a shiur before thousands. I promised the woman that after the shiur, I would ask for donations for the mitzvah of helping a poor bride. But when the shiur ended, I completely forgot about my promise. I only remembered after everyone had already left the hall. I was filled with a sense of anguish over this. The woman, needless to say, was greatly disappointed and on the verge of despair. But I made up my mind to help her in any way possible. Resolutely, I turned to her and said, “Madame, have no fear. Hashem’s salvation is in the blink of an eye. You will yet be rescued from your plight.”
I had just finished talking, when who should pass by, but an old student of mine. As is my practice, I asked how he was doing. He said that everything was Baruch Hashem fine with him. Then he turned on his way. But something in his demeanor struck me. I called him back and asked if it was true that everything was fine. He was taken aback at my repeated queries. “Everything is one hundred percent okay,” he affirmed. But after taking a few steps, he returned to me. “Just now I received a call from home stating that a problem came up at home. After the Rav’s repeated questions, I am afraid, but I don’t know from what.” I told him he had nothing to fear and he should go home calmly.
But he could not be appeased and insisted that he had to do a mitzvah immediately in order to bring merit to his household. When I heard this, I told him that he had a very important mitzvah in front of him. It was the mitzvah of helping to marry off a poor bride. I warned him against letting this opportunity slip away.
On the spot, he contributed the total cost of the young woman’s wedding. The very next day, he transferred the funds to her mother. I added some of my own money in order to complete the sum. Baruch Hashem, the wedding took place on time, to the delight of all those involved.
