A bachur from Modi’in Illit relates: On Thursday evening I returned from yeshivah in Bnei Brak, and before going home I went into the Heichal Yitzchak shul to daven Maariv. Only when I was in the middle of davening did I remember something very important: I had left my suitcase behind, in the luggage compartment of the bus.
In the suitcase were things I needed for Shabbos, laundry to be washed, important sefarim, and other possessions. I had to find it, meaning — I had to catch up with that bus.
If I hadn’t been in middle of davening, I would have gone immediately to the bus terminal to try to catch the bus before it began its next run. But I had already begun davening, and I strengthened myself to continue to the end without forgoing anything, and to deal with the missing suitcase only afterward.
That’s what I did. Only once I had finished davening did I go to the terminal, and there I asked one of the drivers what I could do. The driver sent me to the man in charge, who in turn checked the bus’s location and informed me that the bus would arrive any minute.
Two minutes later the bus showed up, and I took the suitcase, which had waited for me faithfully in the luggage compartment under the bus.
Now I realized that if I had gone to the terminal in the middle of davening I would not have gained anything. I would only have missed out davening with a minyan, and I would have had to wait a long time.
Baruch Hashem, I got my suitcase back without losing out on davening with a minyan.
