Mr. Drebin, the late president of Congregation Avraham U’Tzvi Hirsch in Boro Park, once found himself in the Bnei Brak safari, surrounded by lions. He’d brought his wife to Eretz Yisrael for vacation, and one of their trips was to visit a cousin, the famed Reb Yidel Ackerman of Bnei Brak, known as the Stoliner dancer. In their rental car, they left their lodgings at the Plaza Hotel in Yerushalayim to spend the day in Bnei Brak. As part of their visit, Cousin Yidel told them that he’d bring them to the new Stoliner shul that was under construction.
When they arrived, Reb Yidel’s wife informed them that her husband was still teaching in yeshiva and wouldn’t be home for another two hours. “Why not go to the Bnei Brak safari and tour around for the next little bit?” Reb Yidel’s wife suggested, and so they did.
While they were driving through the safari, they came upon a lion and marveled at how peaceful he seemed. They slowed the car down to see more of him, but before they knew it, the “peaceful looking” lion had jumped onto their car, and brought the car to a standstill. Sensing the danger they were facing, his wife yelped, “Put the pedal to the metal!” but the car wasn’t moving. Once their car had stopped, other lions decided to also greet them up close, and these lions looked hungry.
By then, Mr. Drebin and his wife were sure that this was their end. The approaching lions came up to the vehicle and gave it a bang. They began davening and pleading. “As a zechus for a yeshua, we pledge to finish the building that our cousin Yidel will bring us to.” As soon as those words spilled out of their mouths, the lions backed off the car, allowing it to continue once again.
They made their way back to the Ackerman’s residence and were greeted warmly by Reb Yidel. They exchanged their greetings and were served a luscious meal. Seeing the expressions on their faces, Mrs. Ackerman knew not to inquire about anything; the pale looks on their faces gave away somewhat of the secret, so Mrs. Ackerman didn’t bother asking why a morsel of food wasn’t touched.
Reb Yidel proceeded to bring them to the construction site to see the future Stoliner shul. When Mr. Drebin saw a big hole ready for the foundation to be laid, he was ready to put himself inside it instead. Only he and his wife knew about the pledge they’d made — they had assumed the building was more or less ready, only missing some finishing. Now they saw that his pledge was going to cover the three-story building from ground up — something beyond his budget. “But a word is a word. I’ll do it, and things will fall into place!”
