A Wonderful Story by Rabbi Yakov Horowitz

Embrace Life – and Give Thanks

By: Yakov Horowitz

This past Sunday, at 12:30 p.m., I was standing outside the school building of Yeshiva Darchei Noam, where I serve as Menahel (Dean). I was chatting with several fathers in our school as they waited for their sons to be dismissed. The conversation turned to tuition affordability, tzedakah matters, and the overwhelming needs commanding the tzedakah attention of people nowadays. Toillustrate the point, one of the parents in my school mentioned to me that in the two hours since I had seen him last (we had a yeshiva meeting from 9:30 to 10:30 that morning) about 30 people visited his home soliciting funds for personal or institutional needs. I asked my friend why he does not hire a gabbai tzedakah (a secretary to distribute his charitable dollars). He responded that he considers it a more significant mitzvah – and more respectful to the donor – to give the money himself. A few minutes later, the kids were dismissed and I went home shaking my head at the incredible devotion to charity that my friend demonstrated. I got home, fixed myself a quick lunch, and at 3:00 p.m., prepared to leave my home heading to the park for some much-needed exercise and down time. As I was about to leave, the doorbell rang and my 10-year-old daughter Sara informed me that someone was at the door soliciting funds. I was already heading to the garage and my car, eager to catch the last 90 minutes of sunlight, so I asked my wife to please meet with the individual in my place. As I opened the door to the garage, I thought to myself that if my friend can see 30 people in 2 hours, I could take a few minutes to meet this individual myself. I retraced my steps and opened the front door. There was a middle-aged man soliciting for funds on behalf of a school for troubled teens that he runs in Eretz Yisroel (Israel). I gave him my donation, we chatted for a moment and then parted company. About one minute into our conversation, I heard the squealing of tires, followed by a resounding crash. A driver missed a stop sign around the corner from my home and plowed through the intersection at 40 MPH – right at the time and place (and on my driver’s side – the most vulnerable spot) that I would have been had I delegated the charity giving to my wife and headed out to the park! (With the grace of Hashem, no one was seriously injured.)