The Passport Was Passed On
R’ Mordechai Knafo, my host in Morocco, is a man of tremendous faith in Hashem and His servants.
His daughter was once supposed to travel to France in order to take a specific exam there. As she was preparing for her departure, to her dismay, she discovered that her passport was missing. She could not cross the border without her precious passport.
Issuing a new passport in Morocco is a long, tedious process. Her flight was scheduled for the very next day, and she could not afford the time it took to receive a new passport. When her father, R’ Mordechai, heard about her predicament, he immediately implored Heaven for mercy in the merit of the tzaddikim. Throughout the night, he lit candles in memory of the deceased tzaddikim, asking Hashem to rescue his daughter from her plight. R’ Knafo was so secure in the merit of the tzaddikim that he fully trusted that the passport would be found.
When the hour became extremely late and there was no sign of the passport, his wife asked him to retire for at least a few hours of sleep. R’ Knafo refused, stating that he would not turn in until the passport turned up.
“How do you expect the passport to show up,” she demanded, “When we searched the entire house?”
“I have no idea,” he replied, “but I have complete faith that we will get the passport back in the merit of the tzaddik, Rabbi Chaim Pinto, whose charity fund I am in charge of.”
At 3:00 a.m., the unthinkable transpired. Rapid knocks were heard at the front door. R’ Mordechai hurried to open the door. A man stood there, holding a satchel. To the man’s disbelief, R’ Mordechai took the satchel.
“Why are you taking the case from my hand?” the man asked.
Instead of responding, R’ Mordechai opened the satchel and nonchalantly removed his daughter’s passport from it.
“Where did you find the satchel?” R’ Mordechai asked.
“Near the French embassy,” was the answer.
“And what made you bring it all the way here to return it?” he continued.
“To tell you the truth, at first I had no intention of returning the satchel. But when I was sleeping, my deceased mother appeared to me in a dream. She told me that if I wished to bring her honor, I should hurry to return the lost passport.”
R’ Mordechai paid the man for his troubles and sent him on his way.
He gave his wife a knowing look. It was a look that said he knew all along that the passport would be returned, in the merit of his pure faith.
This is a story that took place in our times. Every Jew has the ability to reach this level of emunah in Hashem, thereby meriting His wonders. What he must do, though, is fortify his faith in Hashem.
