Kfar Chabad, the Chabad-Lubavitch village in Israel, was founded by the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, in 1949. By 1955, people who wanted to live in the village were being turned away as there were no more apartments available. On the Chabad Chasidic "New Year" - 19 Kislev in 1957, the Rebbe asked that at the farbrengen (Chasidic gathering) in Kfar Chabad it be announced that a new neighborhood in the village was being established.
At the farbrengen in New York with the Rebbe, a unique occurrence took place which had never happened before and was never to be repeated: The Rebbe decided how much money each Chasid should give toward the establishment of the new neighborhood. The Rebbe blessed whoever would give to receive G-d's blessings, saying, "If it seems to someone that he was told to give an amount that he is unable to give, the intention is so that G-d will give him at least four times that amount and therefore, when you add another $1000, G-d will give you $4000!"
Among the people sitting in the crowd was Naftali Dulitzky, a diamond dealer from Tel Aviv. Whenever he visited the Rebbe he brought a large sum of money with which he would buy diamonds at lower prices on the New York diamond exchange and sell for a nice profit in Israel and Europe.
Like everybody else there, Naftali handed a slip of paper to the Rebbe that included his name and the amount of money he would be giving. Naftali wrote down a large number, 20% of the money he had brought with him to New York to do business. The Rebbe began reading the notes, telling each person how much to add, from double to 200 times the amount originally pledged. Naftali realized that he should at least double the amount he wrote, but did not imagine how much more would be asked of him. When his note was read by the Rebbe, the Rebbe announced: "Tula Dulitzky - five times more!"
Naftali looked stunned. The Rebbe had left him without a penny for his business transactions. However, as a loyal Chasid he did not ask questions, and as soon as the farbrengen was over he gave the full amount. Although he did not know what he would do the next day, a Chasid is not put off by such concerns.
The next part of the story, related by Naftali's daughter, was heard from Rabbi Chatzkel Besser of Agudath Israel, who knew Naftali for years and often went with him to the Rebbe's farbrengens.
"I was supposed to go to that farbrengen with Naftali, but I missed it. The next day, when I met Naftali in Manhattan, I asked him how the farbrengen was. He said, with a smile, that they had to give huge amounts of money. He confided that he had been instructed to give all the money he had brought with him for the new neighborhood in Kfar Chabad.
"I was a bit surprised. I knew him as a Chasid who would give everything to the Rebbe, but I did not understand why the Rebbe needed to take everything from him. We spoke for a few minutes and then parted. As far as I was concerned, the story was over.
"A little more than a year later, I was in Israel for some communal matter. I met Naftali while there. As we spoke I mentioned our previous conversation that took place in Manhattan. Naftali said, 'I'll tell you what happened later. A few days after the farbrengen, I boarded a ship back to Israel. My original plan was to stop for a few days in Europe to sell the diamonds I would have bought in the U.S. Although now I had no reason to waste time there, my ticket was already purchased.
" 'I arrived in the morning in Antwerp and went to the diamond exchange, where I was immediately greeted by an acquaintance, "Dulitzky, you don't know how happy I am to see you!" Understanding my surprise, he explained that he wanted to do a deal on large diamonds, which he knew to be my area of expertise. " 'I explained to him that I did not have any money or diamonds for sale, but he insisted that I accompany him nonetheless. "At least come with me to see the diamonds," he begged. " 'I tried to get out of it, but he was determined. I finally gave in on condition that I would be there only to advise him. I looked at the diamonds that he had been offered and recommended that he buy them. They were very nice and the price, relative to the quality, was quite reasonable. I figured that my job was done, but he thought otherwise.
" 'He wanted to make a partnership with me. As much as I tried to explain to him that I didn't have money to invest, he refused to hear it. He wanted a partnership, and honestly, I don't know why I agreed. But I signed a contract and promised to send him my share when I returned to Israel.
" 'When I returned to Israel, I sent him a letter asking for the details regarding the payment I owed him. He sent me back a telegram saying I didn't owe him anything.
" 'A few days later I received a letter from him in which he explained that he had been able to sell all the diamonds quickly and make a nice profit. He promised to send me my share of the money. When I read the next line I was flabbergasted.
The sum was four times the amount I had donated on 19 Kislev! The Rebbe had stated at the farbrengen, "If it seems to someone that he was told to give an amount that he is unable to give, the intention is so that G-d will give him at least four times that amount..." ' "
Reprinted from Beis Moshiach Magazine
