My name is Pinchas, and I live in Beit Shemesh. Two weeks ago I was zocheh to marry off my son, b’sha’ah tovah, and the Shabbos sheva berachos were held in a campsite in Kiryat Sefer. I ordered a caterer and arranged with him that I would pay him in cash on Friday, when he would bring the food.
That Friday we traveled from Beit Shemesh to Kiryat Sefer, and only when we arrived did I discover that the envelope with cash that I had prepared for the caterer had remained at home. “I really don’t understand,” I said. “Why did this happen to us? I prepared the money and put it in an envelope and did everything we needed to do.”
It was 12:30 p.m., and I was confused. What would I do when the caterer arrived? I called him, apologized, and asked if he would agree to have me pay him by bank transfer, or if he thought I was obligated to go back to Beit Shemesh to bring the money. “What’s the pressure?” he answered. “Why is it so crucial that you bring the money now?”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “We agreed that I would pay when you bring the food.”
“Yes,” the caterer answered, “but your event isn’t taking place until next week.”
“The event is taking place this Shabbos,” I answered him.
“But we spoke about the 14th of the month.”
“We spoke about this Shabbos, Parshas Pinchas.”
“I’m checking.” The strange conversation ended with a very complicated conclusion. The caterer had confused the date. The money was the smallest part of this whole story, and now I had not even one chicken wing, one spoon of soup, or even a thin noodle. The fish were probably still swimming in the water, and as for the cholent, not one bean had yet been cooked. What were we to do?
“Listen,” he said, immediately regaining control. “You can be sure that, be’ezras Hashem, you’ll have a Shabbos prepared for you from beginning to end! By the time Shabbos arrives, everything will be there!”
He calmed me down, and indeed, b’siyata d’Shmaya, at 5:30 p.m. a truck exuding fragrant aromas pulled up at the entrance to the hall, and all the food arrived, fresher than fresh, rolls hot from the oven and portions organized beautifully.
The caterer then told me how it had happened. “I was sure I had no event today. I had already closed up the kitchen, but after your call, I told all the workers, and from that moment we all worked nonstop. The owner of the bakery opened up the bakery especially for me and baked 450 rolls just for you. We got a few other suppliers involved in the same way, so that nothing would be missing. B”H, we have everything here in honor of Shabbos kodesh. It should be with mazal tov, and nothing should be lacking for you and your guests.”
He was excited, and I stood by, shocked. How was it that the very thing I thought of as an annoying mess-up was the reason for saving the Shabbos?
What would I have done if I hadn’t forgotten the money? I would not have called at 12:30 but only at 5 p.m., and I would have asked him when the food was coming. Then it would probably have been too late, and how would I have managed? I prefer not to think about it.
It’s amazing how Hakadosh Baruch Hu brought the solution before problem. I forgot the money in Beit Shemesh, and as a result I gained oneg Shabbos.
