this day for himself, and he would be the one to speak and collect money.
“Listen,” an avreich who heard our brief conversation told me, “there are other shtieblach in the city; go there.” He showed me the way, and when I was there, I had the exact same experience. I asked the gabba’im for permission to speak, and immediately someone jumped in and said this day already belonged to him.
I thought, At least I’ll post a notice, and they’ll come over to me without my speaking. I hung a large notice regarding hachnassas kallah, but this too bothered the collector of the day very much, and he harshly demanded that I take down the notice.
I almost started to argue with him. What did it matter to him if I would also collect today? In any case, it would be the sum decided on High that would be collected today.
While in my mind I was giving mussar to the one who had no emunah, and he was forcing me to take down the notice, I repeated the same things to myself: In truth, only Hakadosh Baruch Hu decides how much money will be collected here, and if I argue, it is likely to come to hurting a Yid.
I took down the notice, frustrated.
At that moment, an avreich came over to me and told me, “If you want, you can eat breakfast here.”
This was the right thing at the right time. I ate my fill, and after Birkas Hamazon this sensitive avreich came over to me again and asked, “What’s the story? Why did you put up a notice and right afterward take it down?”
I told him my story. He nodded his head in empathy and asked for my phone number.
Afterward, I continued quietly and gathered small sums in the minyanim that continued there until chatzos. That was all I did. The hishtadlus for the day was already far beyond my strength.
I went home and made a rule for myself: Every day I would call one of my friends and ask him to donate toward this important goal.
I knew that I was truly incapable. I knew that 36,000 shekels are not in my league at all. I did not dream that I would succeed, but I understood that my tafkid was to do hishtadlus and to daven to Hashem. How exactly would I reach the full amount? I had no idea, but Hakadosh Baruch Hu saw how His son was exerting himself, and He helped him.
Ten days passed, and I already had 12,200 shekels. I was still missing 23,800 shekels. Then I got a call from the avreich from Beitar Illit, the same one who had asked me why I had put up the notices and then taken them down.
“I have two envelopes for you,” he told me, “Where exactly do you live? I’m coming tonight to Har Yonah to bring them to you.”
And he brought them. One envelope had 7,000 dollars in it for my father-in-law, and the second one had 7,000 dollars in it for me personally. I exchanged the dollars, and thus I received the exact amount that was missing. I had done what I promised, and even received a bonus as well.
I thank Hashem for His chassadim, for the zechus of being able to overcome and to give in, for the zechus of helping out with hachnassas kallah, and for the fact that I got to know firsthand the amazing chessed of Am Yisrael.
