Memories
Mr. Willner was flying from Boston to Vermont. As is required nowadays, he removed his shoes and put them in the container that goes through the metal detector. He then experienced the nightmare that everyone prays will not occur. Someone else at the other end of the conveyor belt mistakenly took his shoes. Mr. Willner found a pair of shoes at the other side of the conveyor belt but the fellow who left those shoes was a size 7 and Mr. Willner could not fit into size 7 shoes. He was trying to catch a plane to Burlington Vermont without any shoes. He called over an agent from the TSA, who in turn called the head of security at the airport. They offered him a voucher for a new pair of shoes but he did not have time to look for a new pair of shoes. He would have missed his flight.
A woman who was also in the same line observed all that transpired. She saw a fellow with a suit and tie and no shoes. She told him that she felt very sorry for him and that she had a pair of slippers in her carry on which she offered to give to him. She took out a pair of pink slippers that were made to be worn with the slipper’s tong separating the big toe and the other toes of the foot. Mr. Willner had no choice. He took the slippers and proceeded to walk through the airport with his suit, tie, yarmulke, and pink tong slippers.
The plane was a commuter plane that required boarding by climbing up a set of portable steps. Mr. Willner’s luck was that the slippers fell off his feet while ascending the staircase and fell to the ground. He had to go back down the staircase and put the slippers back on before climbing up the staircase again. He finally arrived at his seat on the plane feeling exasperated by the experience. A non-Jew who was on the plane with him and had witnessed the whole scene from the beginning told him, “I am amazed that throughout the whole ordeal you never lost your cool, you never became indignant, you never raised your voice. You acted with such civility that it astounds me! It is a credit to your religion.” Mr. Willner had no shoes but he had the zchus of making a Kiddush Hashem!

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A man was standing next to the door of one of the rabbanim in Bnei Brak, waiting his turn to speak to the Rav. Suddenly, another man entered, whose countenance reflected that he was under tremendous stress. He requested from the first man to let him speak to the Rav before him, promising him that he would only be with the Rav for a few minutes. The man who was already waiting agreed immediately to the request, behaving with unusual generosity. Later, he related a story to those present, explaining why he had been so quick to agree to concede his place in line.
“I’ll tell you what once happened to me when I didn’t agree to give up my turn in line,” he said. “I was standing in a line for a gemach in order to take out a loan for the wedding of one of my children. This gemach is only open for one hour a day, between ten and eleven at night. After I had waited for a long time, and the closing time was swiftly approaching, a man entered, breathing heavily. The man told me that he lived in Ashdod and he had come especially to Bnei Brak to obtain a loan from the gemach. He pleaded with me to allow him to enter before me, knowing that since I lived in Bnei Brak, I could easily return the next day if I missed my turn. He, on the other hand, would be forced to travel from Ashdod once again if the gemach closed before he could enter.”
“I considered his request, but I decided that I had been waiting in line for a long time, and I was not willing to concede my place. I told that man that I was unable to agree to his request. He continued to plead with me, but I didn’t give in.” “I received a loan of ten thousand dollars, and left the gemach. I needed to change half of the sum to shekels, and I went straight to a money changer. The money changer handed me five thousand dollars in shekels and I began counting the shekels. While I was distracted by counting the money, I failed to notice the man reaching into my pocket and robbing me of the remaining five thousand dollars.”
“It was only when I left the money changer with the shekels in my pocket, that I was dismayed to see that my other pocket was empty. I didn’t have to delve too deeply to understand that it was a punishment from Shamayim for not conceding to the Jew from Ashdod. We all know that Yerushalayim was destroyed because people acted only according to the letter of the law. Now you can understand why I conceded my place with such generosity.” (Aleinu Leshabeach)

This week is B’Zchus all those who learn daily and every evening in the many shiurim throughout the community.

Distributed by the Chevra Marbitz Achdus D’NMB

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