I expressed my surprise to him, and he explained: ‘When I was driving the bus for the day camp, there was a point in which they fell behind in my pay [Imagine! A Lubavitcher mosad falling behind in pay...]. This went on, and I was growing more frustrated. Finally I decided that I had enough of this, and I informed them of my intention to quit.
They told me that before I made such a decision they needed to discuss it with the Rebbe. I told them that I’m not a Rebbe person, I just want my money. They insisted, however, that they had to go to the Rebbe first.
‘I drove them to Crown Heights, and parked in front of 770. As they exited the car, I reminded them again: “I don’t want to hear about no Rebbes, I just want my money”.
After a few moments they returned to the vehicle. “The Rebbe wants to speak to you”, they informed me. I was fuming! “I told you, I am not a Rebbe person, I don’t want to know about Rebbes, I just want my money”, I told them emphatically. But they were just as adamant. ‘When the Lubavitcher Rebbe says he wants to speak with you, you go, you have no choice in the matter”.
Furious, but feeling that my hands were tied, I left the car and accompanied them to the Rebbe. “What is your name?” the Rebbe asked me, and I told him. “How long were you working for the day camp?” he asked, and I told him it had been 6 years. “And how behind are they in your pay?” I told him I was owed for 6 months.
The Rebbe then turned to me and said: “I would like to ask you not to quit. We will work on putting together the money, and ensure that you get paid up over the next short while. Once you are paid up, then you can decide if you want to stay on or quit, but until then I am asking you not to leave. In exchange for this, I will bless you that you will become independently wealthy!”
“What can I tell you” Menashe concluded his story to me (the Jew in the shul told me, as we sat waiting for maariv and hakofos), “shortly after that, I started a mail order business (remember, this is in the 70’s), and it made me extremely wealthy. In fact, I became so wealthy, that I wrote a book about how to become wealthy. And from the proceeds of the book, I became even wealthier! [So, I guess, at least one of the ways to become wealthy is to write a book about how to become wealthy..]. The Rebbe’s words were fulfilled in the most literal sense!”
