#24 You Never Know

Rabbi Binyomin Pruzansky related the following story.

“A couple of years ago, I was at a Shabbaton. Sitting across the table from me were the Cohen’s, an Israeli family from Staten Island. I was trying to find common ground with Mr. Cohen, but there wasn’t really much we had in common until we came to the topic of shidduchim. Mr. Cohen told me about his daughter Odelia, who was in shidduchim for a while. Odelia, sitting at the table, turned to me and said, “‘Rabbi, it’s so hard for me! I really try to stay strong and keep my Emunah. But it’s tough, I need some chizzuk!’”

I thought for a little and then said, “Rabbi Cohen, I dabble in shidduchim & I think I might have an idea for your daughter!” Now really, I didn’t have an idea; after all, I didn’t really know too many Israeli boys, but I felt that I had to try and give it my all to help another yid.

On the way home from the Shabbaton, I was thinking about this girl Odelia, & then suddenly, an idea popped into my head. Maybe one of the Israeli brothers who managed the supermarket where I shopped would be a good idea?

After arriving back in Lakewood, I dropped off my wife and kids and then announced, “Okay, I’ll see you later! I’m going to the grocery store; I have a shidduch to make!” As I walked into the store, I thought, “One minute, there’s two brothers! Which one? Well, Odelia is to the shorter side, so I’ll go for the shorter brother, Yossi.”

I approached Yossi and said, “Hey, Yossi, I may have a shidduch for you!” “Really, a shidduch for me?” So I told Yossi about Odelia, and Yossi responded, “Rabbi, if you think it’s a good idea, I’ll give it a shot!” I called Odelia and said, “I have a boy for you. And he already gave a yes!” “Really? Okay, I’ll give it a shot!” said Odelia.” It was the easiest shidduch I ever set up! There was no resume, no phone calls, no checking:) They went out, I heard things were getting serious, & sure enough, a few weeks later, I got the phone call- Mazel Tov! I couldn’t believe it! Mr. Cohen asked me to speak at the L’chaim, which, of course, I gladly did. Both the chosson and Kallah were so full of joy and gratitude. Yossi, the chosson, came over and thanked me profusely, “‘Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me! I also needed chizzuk; it was so hard for me…”’

I was so overjoyed that I was able to b”H put this couple together!

A few years later, I was in my local supermarket, doing my Shabbos shopping. As I was shopping, a lady who was coming down one of the aisles accidentally bumped her wagon into me. ‘“I’m sorry,”’ she apologized. Then she looked to see who it was and exclaimed, ‘“Rabbi, do you remember me?”’

It was Odelia! And sitting inside her wagon were two boys, wearing yarmulkas and Tzitzis. '“Rabbi!' Said Odelia. 'I can’t thank you enough for everything that you’ve done! And here are my two sons!'”

Rabbi Pruzansky then said, “The feelings that I had at that moment were unbelievable! Look at what had happened here! I was at a Shabbaton, sitting at the table, and I could’ve minded my own business! But instead, I said ‘“I’m gonna try to make a shidduch!”’ And if I would not have tried to make that Shidduch that Shabbos, that shopping cart would’ve never bumped into me!”

There are a few lessons from this story. Firstly, you never know where your shidduch will come from. More importantly, however, you really never know if your idea can make someone’s shidduch! Don’t think, “Uch, who am I anyway?! You never know! And even if your idea doesn’t go anywhere, just the fact that you put time, thought, and effort into another person shows that you care! Sometimes, if you’re going through a dry spell with no dates, & then someone calls you with an idea, that in itself is a chizzuk! Knowing that someone else cares about you & is thinking about you is enough.

So, keep those ideas rolling! Cause you can never know!