I live in Eretz Hakodesh, while some of my family lives abroad. We keep in touch by phone, blessing each other on the proper occasions and sharing the small pains of life as well. The big moments are when we actually meet. It always happens for a reason, usually a wedding. The meeting itself is a great simchah, and so even when times are hectic, I am happy to make room for quality time with family. My family truly rejoices with me from the depths of their hearts, in the way that only blood brothers can.
The day of my son’s wedding was drawing near, and invitations were sent overseas. My younger brother told me that he was excitedly planning his flight to Israel. “Get me an apartment from Wednesday to the following Sunday, so that I can be there for the Shabbos sheva brachos,” my brother requested, and I very much wanted to fulfill his wish, which was my wish as well.
That’s when the frantic search for an apartment for my brother began. What had I asked for after all? A place where I could put a very young family for just five days, for them to feel comfortable and to have a pleasant stay. That’s all! But my search came up with nothing.
My son’s wedding was one of many weddings taking place in our area that same week. Everyone was happy, and everyone needed apartments, and every available daled amos was filled up immediately. If at first I wanted to find some sort of baal chessed or someone willing to give in order to get back, it turned out I was wrong. There was not one homeowner willing to fulfill my request. I paid an apartment broker to help me, but this too was not easy.
This went on until I got two proposals that could possibly have worked with each other: One apartment that would be available on Wednesday, and another apartment that would be available from Thursday through Sunday.
I did not want my brother and his family to have to move around like that. I felt that this was just “nisht.” They would be coming from a long flight, and it was just not appropriate to host them this way. But I made a cheshbon: I’ve done all the possible hishtadlus I could do – searched and spoken, asked and investigated; I’ve done everything. Who could help me? Only Hakadosh Baruch Hu! “Ribono shel Olam,” I said, “I am not in the picture; please arrange an apartment for my brother so that when he comes from abroad he will be hosted here pleasantly and comfortably.”
I left the matter to Hashem, literally “cast my burden” on Him. I simply felt that this burden of finding an apartment had rolled off of me completely and that I no longer had to deal with it at all. Hakadosh Baruch Hu would take care of it and arrange it, and it would certainly be in the best way possible.
Several days later I was at a chasunah. Suddenly, one of the guests at the wedding approached me and warmly said, “You’re also making chasunah soon, right?”
“Uh huh.”
“And you’re surely inviting guests from abroad.”
“Yes, yes.” I could not say more than a few short words along with enthusiastic nods, because the band ruined any chance of my hearing him or of being heard.
The man called me aside and told me, “There’s an apartment in my building that the tenants recently left, and the new tenants haven’t yet arrived. I would imagine you could get this apartment for a very low price.” He gave me the details, and indeed this was the apartment my brother stayed in – a clean, furnished apartment that was available exactly on the dates of the wedding and the Shabbos that followed.
It was all so clear: From the moment I put the matter completely in the Ribono shel Olam’s hands, everything worked out amazingly.
