The following story was related by Rav Asher Kovalski, author of Peninei Parashas Hashavua, as heard firsthand:
It was close late afternoon on the eve of Lag BaOmer. There were fires prepared for lighting right when darkness fell, and tens of thousands of people were making their way to Meron, to daven at the tziyun of the holy Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, and to rejoice at the tzaddik’s hilulah.
Reb Moshe, a refined young man from the center of Israel, was also planning to ascend to Meron. He ordered a seat on an Egged bus, which required advanced reservations to travel at a certain time.
Before leaving, Reb Moshe wanted to daven Minchah, and he hurried to the nearby shul. When he entered, he found that the minyan had already begun Ashrei. It would seem like a good time to join. But Reb Moshe had taken upon himself long before to make sure to daven Minchah according to its order, from beginning to end, in a serious state of mind. He told himself that Minchah is a tefillah like all others, and it should not be said hastily, nor should any part of it be skipped. Minchah begins with reciting Korbanos, followed by Ashrei and Shemoneh Esreh, in that order. Without skipping or moving around the order.
In normal times, Reb Moshe wouldn’t have had any problem. He davened at a regular minyan, and he usually came early so that he could daven properly. But today, when he was in a hurry to make his bus to Meron, he had to find another minyan to daven with – and discovered it was not so simple. When he entered a different room in the same shul, where another minyan was being held, he heard the chazzan beginning to recite Kaddish. In a different room they were in the middle of Shemoneh Esreh. Because of his kabbalah, Reb Moshe had no choice but to wait for a new minyan to gather.
And then the problem became clear: If he would wait for a new minyan, he might miss the time for his bus, stated on his ticket...He would have to get a new ticket for a different time – and of course, he’d have to pay for another ticket. Moreover, it was not at all certain that he could even obtain such a ticket – because it was possible that all the seats on the later buses had been sold already!
He felt a battle raging in his heart. One voice said the urgency of his trip to Meron, and preventing the loss of the ticket he had paid for and the uncertainty about whether he’d get another ticket – made this situation an exception and he could deviate from his regular practice and skip part of davening. But the second voice in his heart whispered to him that a kabbalah is a kabbalah, and the test is at these complex moments. Therefore, he should insist on davening Minchah according to halachah.
This battle took just a few seconds, and at the end Reb Moshe decided: A kabbalah is a kabbalah and he would keep to it no matter what! He forgot about his ticket, the cost, and the schedule he had planned. He waited patiently for another minyan to gather, and began to daven with Korbanos, in order, calmly, word for word, as he did every day. Only when he finished davening, did Reb Moshe go to the departure point to try to buy a new ticket. The ticket was purchased, at full price, and Reb Moshe didn’t even feel bad. True, he was far from being well-off. He lived off his meager kollel stipend. But he did what he had to do to keep to his kabbalah, and that was the most important and valuable thing to him!
Reb Moshe calmly boarded the bus and found a seat. Beside him was seated a Yid that was obviously not a local. During the drive, they got into conversation and towards the end of the trip, there was a surprising development: His seatmate turned out to be a guest from America, a relatively wealthy person. This man asked Reb Moshe a bit about himself, and was deeply impressed by him.
Suddenly, during the conversation, the man turned to Reb Moshe and said: “Do you want to make a deal with me?”
“I’m not a businessman, I’m really very far from that,” Reb Moshe demurred. “I’m a kollel yungerman. That’s all I do. I’m not the right person...” he replied politely. But the guest was very happy to hear that. “Well, that’s the deal I’m talking about! I want to adopt an avreich who is sitting and learning, and I want to make a Yissachar Zevulun arrangement with him!
“I want to give you a generous monthly stipend, and to be a partner to your Torah...Would you make this deal with me?”
By the time the two arrived in Meron, the deal was closed. They exchanged phone numbers and made up to meet to sign an official document. It was the perfect Yissachar Zevulun arrangement.! The guest from abroad adopted Reb Moshe with a monthly budget and became a partner to his Torah.
Only later did Reb Moshe internalize what had happened: It was so ‘random’ that he had met his new partner! If he would have given up his kabbalah and traveled on his original bus, the entire deal would have not come to be. It was only thanks to his firm commitment to stick to his kabbalah that he was able to sign on such a dream deal. To this day, nearly two years later, the deal is still in effect. Each month, a generous sum is transferred right into Reb Moshe’s bank account.
Meanwhile, this person also made some other beneficial arrangements for Reb Moshe. For example, he was able to get him into a prestigious kollel, as he is one of the patrons there, among other things – all because of Reb Moshe’s commitment to keep his kabbalah.
His firm adherence to his kabbalah to daven Minchah according to halachah cost Reb Moshe a few shekels, but brought him tremendous financial reprieve. The Creator orchestrated events in a way that his commitment paid off many times over.
