It was the night of Passover. The candles were lit, the house shone, and the holiday table was set. Everyone in the family was dressed in his finest clothes. The children couldn't wait for the seder to begin, but their father seemed a bit sad.
And what, in fact, was bothering him? That he had only found two guests to invite, instead of the usual dozen. The seder just wouldn't be the same.
The father was a wealthy Jew who gave a tremendous amount of tzedaka (charity). His business employed a great many people, and he was always trying to find work for more. His home was open to the poor and needy, and every Shabbat and holiday it was filled with guests.
This year, however, the weather had been terrible, and the roads were virtually empty. For this reason, there had been precious few strangers to invite.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Hoping it might be a guest the man ran to open it. "I've lost my way in the snow," the stranger apologized. "I beg you, as a fellow Jew: Please allow me to participate in your Passover seder."
"You are extremely welcome!" the wealthy Jew replied joyfully. "We'd be delighted to have you join us at the seder table." The stranger's shabby clothing was completely drenched. The poor fellow's teeth were chattering.
The father quickly ordered one of his sons to bring a change of clothing, but the stranger insisted it wasn't necessary. "What for?" he asked. "The clothes I'm wearing are good enough. Besides, I'm sure they'll be dry by the time we finish praying the evening service."
"Whatever you wish," the man said. Everyone wondered why the stranger was so reluctant to part with his dirty clothes.
The stranger put his knapsack on the floor and went off to the synagogue with his host. When they came home, the children noticed that their father was treating this guest with unusual deference. The stranger was seated at the head of the table, and he kept smiling at him as if they were old friends.
"'Magid,' " the father announced, and everyone began to recite the Hagada. Everyone, that is, except for the stranger, who didn't open his mouth. In fact, had anyone been watching closely, he would have seen that the man wasn't even turning the pages. Occasionally it even seemed as if he was sleeping...
When it was time for the meal the stranger suddenly perked up. His table manners were atrocious. He stuffed too much food into his mouth, grabbed things with his hands, and repeatedly asked for additional helpings. But the host continued to treat him respectfully and gave him whatever he asked for.
"What a glutton!" everyone else at the table thought. No one could understand why he was being treated so deferentially.
After the third cup of wine was poured and they were about to recite the grace after meals, the father asked for everyone's attention. "Children," he said, "tonight it is a mitzva to tell the story of the Exodus. It is also an appropriate time to recount the miracles that one has experienced personally..."
He then proceeded to recount an event that had happened years before, when he had set out on a business trip with two other Jews. After several hours a snowstorm had suddenly materialized, their wagon and two horses had been stranded in the middle of nowhere. By then it was completely dark.
"We were running out of hope," the man recalled, "when suddenly we saw a light in the distance. We were overjoyed when we discovered it came from a house, but our joy did not last long. We had stumbled upon a thieves' den. They were as pleased to see us as a hungry animal about to devour its prey.
"My money and gold watch and chain were immediately taken. Then the robbers decided that I must be killed. I pleaded for my life, but to no avail.
"At that moment a man walked in and asked what all the commotion was about. When he saw me tied up on the floor he said, 'Leave him alone! If he dies, many others will die with him - all the workers he employs and all the poor people he supports. I used to work for him, and I can tell you firsthand that he is a good man. Just let him be. Do it for my sake."
"The next morning we were allowed to leave. The man who saved my life accompanied us back to the main road. And if you want to know his identity, he is sitting right here by my side..."
The children looked at the chair next to their father - but it was empty! Without anyone noticing the stranger had left the table and disappeared. They conducted a thorough search but he was gone. And for some reason, he had been in such a hurry that he had forgotten to take his knapsack.
