Charlie Harary told a story about a friend of his who was in a supermarket an hour before Shabbat. There was a woman who was ready to check out, and she had a full shopping cart. She handed the cashier her credit card, and the cashier said, “I'm sorry, your card is declined.”
The woman looked around, embarrassed, and said, “Okay, just put it on my account, please.”
The cashier pulled it up on the computer and said, “I can't put it on the account, it's maxed out at $4,000.”
The woman was so ashamed, she looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole. “Okay... I'm going to go put the stuff back.”
Immediately, and very nonchalantly, Charlie Harary's friend handed his credit card to the cashier and said, “No problem, please put it on my card.” This man quickly responded to a need, and without causing a scene or any further embarrassment, he took care of his fellow Jew, no questions asked! The woman looked at him with tears in her eyes and a heart full of appreciation. And she wheeled her full cart out of the store.
But the story doesn't end there.
When the man standing behind the person who paid for the groceries witnessed that quick interaction, he was so inspired himself. As Charlie Harary's friend was walking out, he overheard the gentleman that was behind him in line say, “How much was on that woman's account?”
When the cashier said, “$4,000,” this man answered, “Do me a favor, add up my groceries and just put her account on there and wipe it clean.” And when he was done, he just pushed his cart out of the store. No fanfare, no smiling, no patting on the back, he just quietly performed this act of kindness and generosity for a complete stranger totally anonymously.
