By Rabbi David Ashear
Moshe’s* daughter had been in shidduchim for several years and had not yet found her zivug. Recently, Moshe’s friend lost a child who had been ill. He and his family did not have a place to sit shivah. Their apartment was very small, and they had no immediate relatives with bigger homes available to them.
Moshe discussed this sad situation with his wife, who suggested that they host the shivah. Moshe called his friend and offered the use of his home. The mourners were overcome with gratitude for this very heartwarming gesture. How many people would be willing to open their home for an entire week, to have total strangers walk in and out at all hours?
During the shivah, the bereaved parents made a point of telling every visitor of their hakaras hatov [gratitude to the family hosting them]. The mother knew how hard her hosts were trying to find a shidduch for their daughter, so she made it a point to tell the visitors how special she is and what an outstanding family she had.
One day, a woman drove in from another city, about an hour and half away, and she was told about this wonderful girl looking for a shidduch. She was very pleased with the report she heard and impressed by seeing her in action at the shivah home.
This woman’s son was of marriageable age, and after some investigating by both sides, a meeting was set up between the two. The couple soon became engaged. Their great act of chessed, opening their home for someone else’s shivah, was the means by which their yeshuah was sent. (excerpted from the ArtScroll book – “Living Emunah on Shidduchim”)
Reprinted from the Parshas Nasso 5784 email of the Weekly Vort.
