Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz related a story on Tiv HaHashgacha, that someone presented to him:
“I traveled outside of Eretz Yisroel to collect funds for a Chasunah, so that Jews from all over could help and join in with the Mitzvah of Hachnasas Kallah. When I arrived, I hired a driver to take me to the addresses of people who were happy to donate to this cause, and in exchange, the driver would receive a percentage of what I was able to collect.
A Convenient Arrangement without any Financial Risk
“It was a convenient arrangement because there was no financial risk. If I managed to get donations, then the driver would make some money too. But if I was not able to raise anything, then the driver would also not receive anything, and I would not go into debt by having to pay him a fee. “We started the day pleasantly, and the driver dropped me off at the different addresses. I would get out of the car, knock on the door, and then I would daven that they would open it for me, and if they did, I would daven that they would give me a decent amount, and we continued on like this. “As we drove, I suddenly saw a house up ahead, and something in my heart was drawing me to go and visit that house. I asked the driver to please stop by there, but the driver refused. He said that he knew the owner of that house, and he will not give anything, and even if he does give, it will just be a small amount, and it will be a waste of time for us to go there. He wanted to stick with the addresses on the list, and not waste his time.
An Angry Driver Who No Longer Wanted to Work with the Collector
“But I still felt an inner urge to go there, so I insisted that he let me off. The driver was very angry with me and said that if I insisted, then he no longer wanted to work with me. He was furious, and he dropped me off at the house. “I walked up and knocked lightly on the door. A kind man opened the door and invited me into his living room. He apologized for the mess and explained that they had just moved in. In the middle of our conversation, he scolded his five-year-old son to get down from climbing on the table. When he called the boy by his name, I was surprised to hear that it was the same name as my righteous grandfather.
“I asked the man if there was a connection to the Tzadik with that name, and he replied that he had a strong connection to that Tzadik, and he named his son after him. I told him this Tzadik was my grandfather. He was very moved by this and he said that not long ago, he had promised to give a nice sum of Tzedakah to the family of this Tzadik, and right now, his grandson was sitting with him! “He excused himself and shortly returned with a very decent amount of money. He explained that he had saved it for a very long time, and I told him that Baruch Hashem, this money would help me marry off my daughter in a respectable way. I was very happy, and wished this kind man well, and left his house. “My driver was not there waiting for me. I called him, and he told me that he drove away, and that he did not wish to work with me anymore. I asked him what I owed him for the day that he spent with me. He said a small amount, which I later sent him, and that left me with the entire donation for me to have, and I didn’t have to split it! I saw from this that if it is decreed in Shamayim that someone will profit and another will not, then Hashem will cause him to run away from the money.
Reprinted from the Parshas Ki Sisas 5784 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
