Seek the Welfare of Others, and Hashem Will Seek Yours
I once found myself in New York, spending a couple of days there, collecting funds for the benefit of our institutions.
Without any prior warning, I was struck with a general weakness. I couldn’t get out of bed, let alone speak publicly. Obviously, my mission was thwarted, and I bemoaned all the time and effort involved in this trip, which seemed to have been for nothing.
After a week of rest, I was able to stand on my feet again. Providence arranged that I met an old acquaintance. As we spoke, I happened to ask after his father. The man was so touched by this thoughtful gesture that then and there he decided to donate a considerable sum to our cause. This amount compensated for all of the previous days that I had missed collecting.
- A lecture at the central Sephardic Beit Hakeneset in Manhattan
How wonderful and rewarding it is to ask after someone’s welfare! By giving a fellow Jew a good feeling, one can accomplish so much. Heaven intervened that I should think of asking this man about his father, so that our institutions should profit.
