Rav David Ashear related a great story. Shlomo, a taxi driver in Eretz Yisroel, picked up a distinguished looking man who needed a ride from the airport. As they drove toward their destination, the passenger casually rolled up his sleeves. “It’s warm in here, right?” he asked conversationally.
Shlomo glanced over, and when he saw the man’s arm, he gasped. The passenger asked, “Are you all right?” noticing Shlomo’s surprised reaction. Shlomo proceeded to tell him a story.
He said, “Years ago, I worked on a Kibbutz. My job was to sort apples. I would put the good apples in one pile, which were to be sold, and I would throw the lower quality apples into a giant blender which was used to make apple juice. One day, I wanted to see how the blender worked. After filling it with bruised apples, I climbed up to the top to watch the apples get chopped up. Suddenly, I lost my balance, and I fell into the deep vat.
The machine was running, and I had very little time before the blades would strike me. I began to scream. Just as I was getting pulled down, I felt someone grab me. He pulled me out and saved my life. I thanked him profusely from the bottom of my heart, and from that day on, we became friends.
Always Remembering His Brother
“On occasion,” Shlomo continued, “I noticed that my new friend would seem depressed. One day, I gathered the courage and I asked him what was bothering him. He told me he was a Holocaust survivor. He and his only brother lived together through the war. But one day, his brother was taken away, and he hasn’t seen him since. My friend said, ‘Sometimes I think about him, and I get really sad, because I remember how close we were.’”
Shlomo said to the passenger, “He showed me the number on his arm, 8862. His brother’s number was one higher, 8863. It has been about ten years since my friend told me that story, and he still gets sad about his long-lost brother. I’ll never forget that number. You just raised your sleeve and it’s there! You’re 8863!!”
Shlomo drove his passenger straight to his friend’s home and let his tears flow without restraint, as he watched the emotional reunion of the two brothers. Rav Ashear commented how this episode was orchestrated by Hashem over many years, until the time was right for the brothers to finally be united!
