Reuven, a bochur, was once offended by Shimon and held a grudge against him. Seeking revenge, Reuven decided to play a cruel trick by suggesting Shimon's daughter as a shidduch to a bochur whom Reuven particularly disliked.
The bochur checked out the girl and informed Reuven that he was interested in meeting her. The following day, Reuven told him that he had arranged a date and gave him the time and place.
At the appointed hour, the bochur knocked on Shimon's door. Shimon opened it and looked at him expectantly, but when the bochur introduced himself as the young man scheduled to meet his daughter, Shimon was bewildered. Nobody had suggested a shidduch to him, and he certainly had not arranged a meeting for that day.
Perhaps the bochur had come to the wrong house? But no, the names matched, and the bochur had indeed been given Shimon's name as the girl's father. When Shimon asked who had made the suggestion and heard Reuven's name, he realized that Reuven had deliberately tricked them both to take revenge for the earlier insult.
Seeing the bochur’s embarrassment, Shimon took pity on him. He invited him in, offered him cake and soda, and sat down to discuss the sugya he was learning in yeshiva. Shimon was impressed by the bochur’s seriousness in learning and his genuine yiras Shomayim.
Perhaps this bochur was sent to me from Shomayim, he thought. He seems perfect for my daughter! He decided that the two should meet.
A few weeks later, they were engaged.
Reprinted from The Weekly Vort. Excerpted from the book – “Meant to Be.”