I was living in one of the holes that had been turned into living units in Yerushalayim shel maalah, somewhere atop all the other floors. It was a type of attic, where one could fit a table, a bed, and a lamp. When someone asked about my future plans, I told them with conviction, “I want an apartment in Yerushalayim.” Anyone who heard this looked at me like I had fallen from the moon. Taking into account the high floor where I lived and the high rent I paid, by all logic this was not tenable.
I knew that the price of a decent-size apartment was well over the 2 million shekel mark. I knew that even if I was willing to pay it, I would need rachamei Shamayim in order to find an apartment in the area where I would want to live, but all this did not stop me from wanting what I felt was right for me.
My wife said we had to be logical and to think of a plausible way of purchasing an apartment. I thought about it logically, and my conclusion was: Anywhere in the world, it is no easy feat to purchase a home. There is no such thing as a free apartment, and any sum you would need comes with hardship. Being that the money is coming from Shamayim, from Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Who is the Owner of all the gold and silver in the world, there is no difference for Him between sending me 800,000 shekels or 2,200,000 shekels. It is all the same to Him.
Besides, money was not the only aspect. There were all sorts of ways that Hashem could send me an apartment. I would need to daven, and I invested all my kochos in this. I davened from the depths of my heart and asked Hashem to have pity on me and to give me an apartment in Yerushalayim. I believed He would listen to my tefillah, and I anticipated His yeshuah.
One day, I was walking on a street in Yerushalayim when a man came over to me and asked me, “Do you know anyone who needs an apartment in this area?”
I told him, “Yes, I do.”
“Look,” he said, pointing to a specific apartment. “This apartment belongs to someone who’s been trying to sell for a number of years and hasn’t succeeded. He met people several times who almost signed, but they all backed out at the last minute. He needs the money urgently, and he’s willing to sell the apartment for half the price.”
I asked to see the apartment, and I was very pleased with it. An apartment selling for “key money,” and quite large – 90 square meters. The price? Less than a million shekels, rather than two million.
If someone were to tell me that they would run after me in order to sell me an apartment in Yerushalayim, I would say that it’s impossible. But if Hashem wants, he sends you an apartment at a price you can manage.
Because for Hakadosh Baruch Hu there are no statistics. Each person is an only son. All you need to do is ask!
