There is a story about the Rebbe Rabbi Yehoshua of Belize zt"l, who once entered his room with a deep sadness on his face. And when the man opened his mouth and removed what was weighing on his heart, the reason for his grief became clear.
And so the man said in a voice trembling with tears: My only son, whom I loved, had made friends with empty and reckless people, and had been influenced by their despicable ways. He had gone out into an evil culture, and had deteriorated from one place to another, and now he intended to marry a foreign woman. I was so angry when I heard this, that I drove him out of my face, and drove him out of my house. But after the fact, I thought to myself, whether it should have been done, or whether I should have taken another path. Indeed, The tzaddik answered, it was not right to remove him from the house. Change your behavior toward him, and from now on, begin to bring your son closer to you. Bring him home, and try to bring him to me. The man returned to his city and turned to look for his son. When he found the son, the father could not believe his eyes. The son who had left his home proud and grand was now poor and miserable, his torn clothes hanging carelessly over his body, and he had no place to live. The father did as the Rebbe said, and turned to his son and said to him, "Come home." The son agreed, and when he came home he was treated wonderfully. His father fed and watered him with the best food and drinks, and even bought him new and beautiful clothes.
All that time, the father did not talk to his son about his marriage to that non-Jew, and the son relished his stay at his father's house and recovered from the poverty and deprivation that had been his lot lately. One day the father turned to his son and said to him: I intend to go to the Rebbe of Belize, would you like to join me? The son, who was grateful to his father for everything he had done for him, decided to make him happy. And he joined the trip. During the trip, the two discussed many topics, including about their son's marriage. At that moment, the son's face took on an expression of determination, and he said unequivocally: I will not change my mind on this matter, and no one in the world will succeed in influencing me to change my mind, and your Rebbe will not succeed in doing so!! And what about the family members of that non-Jew, the father asked his son,
how can you not fear that they are murderers and robbers? Oh father, the son replied dismissively, Why think so, they are decent people.
When they arrived in Belize, the two of them went to the Rebbe's, and the Rebbe began a cordial conversation with the same son, until he felt that the son had great confidence in him. Afterwards, the Rebbe presented him with a "small tallit" properly tucked white as snow, and said to him: Wear it under your clothes, you are supposed to be among the non-Jews, and this is a place of danger, and this tallit will be for you to guard. The son who had confidence in the Rebbe, and was happy that the Rebbe was not trying to influence him at all not to marry a non-Jew, And he agreed to wear the tallit. Shortly after the father and son returned from their trip to Belize. The date of the son's marriage had arrived, and the marriage was supposed to be held in a revelry and a hija as is the custom of the non-Jews. On the advice of the Rebbe of Belize, the Jewish father also participated in the ceremony. He sat from the side at a small table prepared especially for him, and watched the rejoicing foreigners with his eyes. At the head of the table sat his son, the groom, who was drunk and reveled like his fellow gentiles. As his kindness to wine, the son-in-law felt great warmth. And he took off his upper garment, but nevertheless the wine burned inside him and flooded him with heat. So he tried to free himself from another garment and another garment, until a strange garment was revealed to all the people present – a small white tallit. Immediately one of the attendees exclaimed in astonishment: Look, this is a Jewish garment, the groom is wearing a Jewish garment, the groom is a Jew. When the other foreigners saw this, they pounced on him in a rage and said to him, "Why did you say you were a non-Jew, how dare you?" They thundered their voices and were amazed by their blows. The groom suffered severe and painful blows. Finally, he was expelled from the wedding, and was forced to flee for his life as long as he could.
That Jewish groom realized that her family members were indeed nothing but a group of murderers and robbers. The package was separated, and the son became a repentant man, and returned to his quarry. And all thanks to the mitzva of tzitzit.
