Thirty years ago, David and Sam, two American teenagers, from Jewish but nonaffiliated homes, visited Israel during their school summer vacation, to work on a non- religious kibbutz.
After a few weeks Sam came to the conclusion that there was something missing in their Jewish experience on this kibbutz and he decided to go to Jerusalem to try out some Jewish learning. It took some effort but eventually he persuaded the non-too-enthusiastic David to go with him and the pair enrolled in an Ohr Somayach’s basic Judaism course – which changed their lives forever.
The two boys stayed on to continue learning, but eventually, with the help of parental persuasion, Sam decided to go back to America and continue his Jewish learning there as well as going to medical school to fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor.
David meanwhile continued to learn in Jerusalem and was unendingly grateful to Sam for persuading him to change tracks and forge for himself a path of Torah and mitzvos. He was introduced to a wonderful religious girl and they became engaged and decided to settle permanently in Israel.
Over the years David and Sam built wonderful frum families, careers and maintained contact and occasionally saw each other on visits to each others home countries.
Then one day David received a message from Sam’s wife. After a frighteningly swift illness Sam had passed away and was being buried in Jerusalem as per his wishes. Sam’s wife Shoshanna was sure that David would want to know and attend the levaya. How much more David would have preferred to attend Sam’s sons’ weddings than his levaya but Hashem’s plans are not to be questioned.
A year later Shoshanna returned to Israel for her late husband’s first yahrzeit and contacted David to invite him to join them in the azkara, the memorial service. In the meantime one of their sons had married and was living in Jerusalem and Shoshanna became a more frequent visitor to Jerusalem.
Her marriage to Sam had been very happy but too short and she was deeply depressed and her son and daughter-in-law commented on how rarely she smiled even with a grandchild to brighten her life.
David was very saddened both at the untimely death of his good friend and also seeing how depressed his widow was. He had always felt that he owed his entire way of life to Sam. He shuddered to think where he would be today if Sam hadn’t persuaded him to go to Jerusalem and to yeshiva.
During the following year a good friend of David’s got divorced, and a plan formed in David’s mind.
When Shoshanna next visited Israel for her husband’s azkara, David asked her if she was ready to consider meeting someone. Her immediate reply was a definite no. But later on when discussing the “ridiculous” idea with a close friends of hers she was surprised at her friend’s reaction. “Why not? You’re not committing yourself to anything. You’re still young. It’s time to think of your future.” Her advice was not to be ignored as she herself had been widowed at a young age and had remarried and was very happy.
So when David asked her again one day she agreed to hear more about the man he had in mind. However the information she heard did not make him sound compatible at all – so she politely but firmly once again said no.
But again her friend came to the rescue. “Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe you should just give him a try. Meet him. You can’t judge a person by other peoples’ descriptions”
So she agreed to meet him.
At their vort a few weeks later Shoshanna’s son remarked on how the smile had come back to her. He was so pleased that his mother looked happy again after several years of grief.
And David was as happy as they were. At last he felt that he had repaid his debt of gratitude to his friend Sam.