Elisha called his close friend, R’ Refael Rosenthal, to ask about a proposed match for his son. The girl suggested was the daughter of Tanchum Lavan, a neighbor of R’ Rephael, and also a regular attendee of R’ Rephael’s shiur. But when Elisha called about the Lavan girl, R’ Rephael, for some reason, had a total temporary memory lapse.
A Promise to Call His Friend Back
Elisha did not want to cause R’ Rephael to feel more discomfort than he already felt, so he did not press the issue. R’ Rephael promised to call Elisha as soon as he could recall his connection to the Lavans.
A few short moments later, R’ Rephael remembered! How could he NOT recall the Lavans? Their building were not sound-proofed enough to muffle the shouting emanating from the Lavan apartment one flight down. Their doors were always being slammed. The Lavans were a dysfunctional family. R’ Rephael was now in a difficult predicament. Elisha would surely check out the Lavans and surmise that R’ Rephael had “blanked out” in order to hide their shame.
Yet R’ Rephael felt it was his duty to prevent this shidduch from materializing at all costs. He did not think it would be a good match, as the families were not at all compatible. He tried reaching Elisha numerous times throughout the evening, yet the line was consistently busy. He resolved to call Elisha on the morrow. The next day, R’ Rephael’s schedule was exceedingly hectic and he forgot all about reaching Elisha.
It Was Far Too Late to Call
He arrived home close to midnight, and though he then remembered Elisha, it was far too late to call. The next day, when he saw Tanchum Lavan at his shiur, he decided that come what may, he would phone Elisha the minute he arrived home. But as soon as he entered his home, he received a call from Elisha. The noise in the background sent chills up and down his spine.
“Mazel Tov!” Elisha shouted into the telephone. “R’ Rephael, we’ve made a shidduch! We’re in your building. Come down to the Lavan apartment and drink l’chaim with us!”
R’ Rephael froze; he could not utter a sound. How could he have let this happen? Yet R’ Rephael was not one to question Hashem’s Will. He went down to wish them mazel tov, heaping blessings on the new couple, which were more of a silent plea that indeed everything should go well for them.
A few months after the wedding, Elisha told R’ Rephael, “Do you remember when I asked you about the shidduch with Tanchum Lavan’s daughter?”
R’ Rephael trembled; the moment he feared had arrived. Elisha continued, “We later found out that the Lavan family had some problems. But my daughter-in-law? She’s a jewel! My son is so happy. They have a wonderful life together. After all, he doesn’t live with his father-in-law, and in his own home, peace and contentment reign. I have often thought of what my son would have missed if I had heard about the Lavan family’s problems and dropped the shidduch.
“You were so wise, R’ Rephael! Thanks to your memory lapse, we were able to take our diamond and place her in the proper setting.” (There Is No Such Thing As Coincidence) R’ Rephael’s memory lapse, his inability to reach Elisha by phone, his hectic schedule causing him to forget reaching Elisha the next day, were all part of Hashem’s Master Plan to bring about a most unlikely, but destined, shidduch.
Reprinted from the Parshas Mishpatim 5784 email of The Weekly Vort.
