After Sha’charis on Shabbos in our Sht’eble in Tampa, an older Israeli, named Asher motioned me over to his seat, waiting for Ki’ddush. We are good friends, and we share the same first name.
“Rabbi Asher,” he said, “I want to tell you a story from many years ago, when I lived in Chaifa.”
“You see,” he continued, “my father owned a taxi business, hiring Arab drivers and my mother made businesses in perfumes and women’s clothing, imported from all over the world.”
“Now,” he continued, “she needs to fly to Germany to meet the richest and biggest sales lady in Europe. But to show she’s serious and to finish the deal she is told to bring along $50,000. So Mom packs away the cash in a small suitcase and calls a driver from my father’s cab company for a ride to the airport. When she gets to Germany, she opens her big suitcase where she thought the cash was stored, and it’s not there! In a panic, she calls my dad, back in Israel.
“The money, my suitcase and the $50,000 is all gone,” she cried.
“Don’t worry,” my dad answered, “I was waiting for your call. Remember who was your driver?”
“For sure I remember,” Mom answered, “Abram from Ul al-Fahm.”
“Well, after finishing work tonight, he noticed a small suitcase in the trunk of his taxi. He opened it up and saw all the cash. He figured it was yours and just returned it a few minutes ago.”
“Ho’du li’Hashem Ki Tov!” my Mom screamed from Germany to Dad in Chaifa, “So loud, she probably did need the phone,” Asher said smiling.
“Wow,” I said to Asher, “I know exactly the magazine that would love to print up this story, Spring Hills Times. Can I write it up?”
“Of course,” Asher answered, “It’s important to know that there are plenty good and honest goyim in the World!”
And on cue we heard Ki’ddush, “Ba’ruch A’tah Ha’Shem, Blessed are You Ha’Shem, King of the Universe, Who Created the Fruit for Wine!”
Rabbi Asher Shlomo Ehrenpreis
