Rabbi Elimelech Biderman told a story of a Rabbi from Israel who was struggling a great deal with parnasa. He was marrying off a child and needed an exorbitant amount of money that he didn’t have. With no other choice, he decided to go to America and ask for charity. Before he left, he went to his Rabbi to receive a blessing.
The Rabbi’s Guidance
The Rabbi told him, “No matter what anyone gives you, whether its $5000, $500, $5 or even 5 cents, always say thank you with a smile and make sure you keep learning Torah when you’re not out collecting.”
A Difficult Journey
He went, but he was not having a pleasant experience. He was getting a dollar here, a dollar there, but most of the time he was just being ignored. The people there had heard his type of story again and again and they were not moved to give. It was very hard for him to keep smiling and say thank you for the small change that he was getting, but he managed to do it.
The Final Attempt
It was towards the end of his trip and he had only collected a very small portion of the funds that he needed. An acquaintance sent him to an area with very wealthy people. This was his last chance. He didn’t know anyone in the neighborhood, so he just went door to door knocking, but not one person answered the door.
The Unexpected Test
Until, at last, at one house, the door finally opened, but the Rabbi was gripped with fear when he saw a large dog standing in front of him, barking loudly. He began to run, and then he heard a voice from inside the house, saying, “Don’t be afraid; come in, Rabbi.”
He walked into a large house which looked like a palace, and he saw the wealthy owner sitting with his feet up. “What could I do for you, Rabbi?” the wealthy man asked.
The Rabbi explained his dire situation. The wealthy man then took out a ten-dollar bill from his pocket, he gave it to his dog and told his dog to go give it to the Rabbi. It was bad enough he only received ten dollars, but to take it from the dog…the shame that he felt was too much.
Choosing Gratitude Over Pride
Instead of becoming angry, he remembered the words of his Rabbi and politely thanked the man for his contribution. He then went even further to make that man feel good. Just a couple of hours before, he was learning a Gemara which said: “A person should not raise a bad dog in his house.” So he told the wealthy man, “You have a good dog.”
“What do you mean?” the wealthy man asked.
He explained, “The Gemara says you shouldn’t raise a bad dog, which implies there must be such a thing as a good dog. Your dog knows how to give tzedaka, so he must be a good one.”
Divine Intervention
The wealthy man then asked the Rabbi for a favor. He said, “Please, could you go across the street and tell my neighbor what you just told me about my dog?” The Rabbi didn’t want to do it, especially after he only got $10 from this man, but again he overcame his inclination and he said, “Sure, no problem.”
He went across the street and an older gentleman answered the door. The Rabbi gave him the message. Minutes later, that man was across the street, hugging the first man. It was the father-in-law of the wealthy man. He had been so upset that his son-in-law got a dog, he hadn’t spoken to him in months, but when he heard what the Rabbi said about the dog, he had a change of heart.
The Reward of Emunah
The wealthy man was so grateful; he wrote out a cheque to this Rabbi for $18,000 and gave it to him for the wedding. At that moment, all the rejection that the Rabbi experienced the past week didn’t matter anymore. The Rabbi got what he needed.
Hashem prepared him, right before the visit, with the right words to say and put him in front of the right person. And just like that, his trip was a great success. We could all be helped. Continue hoping and praying to Hashem and b’ezras Hashem, we should all be helped with our needs.