Mrs. Batsheva Perlstein (name changed) was a regular customer at a dry cleaning establishment located just outside the Jewish community of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Once, when Mrs. Perlstein came to pick up quite a number of garments before Pesach, she realized that she did not have sufficient funds in her bank account to cover the payment.
“I’m sorry, Mike,” she told the proprietor, “but I don’t have the full amount right now. You’ll have to hold onto some of the clothing until I do.”
“No, it’s all right; you can take it all,” Mike replied graciously.
Mrs. Perlstein later repaid his kindness with a piece of advice to help boost his business: She suggested that he place an advertisement in a local Jewish publication. Mike accepted her suggestion, and before long found himself serving a large Jewish clientele.
To this day, when Mrs. Perlstein brings him her clothes, he returns the garment with the words “0 dollars — good deed” written on the receipt. He has also come to donate generously to various causes in the Jewish community.
Reproduced from A Life Worth Living by Rabbi Shraga Freedman with permission of the copyright holders, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, Ltd.
