Baruch Hashem, I sit and study and try to provide for my household. Despite all my efforts, I live hand-to-mouth and thank Hashem for all His kindness. One day, I received a debt notice from a government office for 13,000 shekels, an amount I had no idea how I’d manage to come up with. Not only did I need to find the money, but my bank account was also frozen, which restricted me even more.
Since I did not see any natural way to earn such a sum to cover the debt through work, I turned to the path taught by Chazal (Avos 3:5): "Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah, the yoke of worldly concerns is removed from him." So I took upon myself an additional time of Torah study as my effort. No more than a day passed after I made this commitment and began my study, when a friend innocently asked if I knew a Jew in need of a significant donation. He explained that he had received an inheritance of 130,000 shekels and was looking to give maser to a man who needed that amount. I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable, but I told him, “That’s exactly the amount of the debt weighing on me—13,000 shekels! If Heaven arranged that you would meet me and ask me, then perhaps...” He was shocked and said that if I could show him documentation confirming the exact debt amount, he would transfer the entire sum to me. That very day, after seder, I brought him the papers, and with great excitement, he happily covered the debt that had fallen upon me.
I saw with my own eyes that what the sages promise—that the yoke of worldly concerns will be lifted—is quite literal!
י.צ.
