Every Last Penny

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

All of the money that will come into a person's possession this year was determined on Rosh Hashanah. This does not only apply to the money a person will earn from his job, it includes every last penny from every possible source, both expected and unexpected. At this time, the judgment is still pending and can be changed for the better. Many people had a very hard year financially, but it could all change in the blink of an eye. Not only is the exact dollar amount determined, but even the way that it will come to a person and by which individuals it will come from. People who have organizations and yeshivot to run, spend their days and nights trying to raise the money to keep them going. Every dollar that will be gained from fundraising is also being determined right now. The Shulchan HaTahor tells a story of two students of Rav Zusha of Anipoli who went to raise funds for a certain institution. They came to the city of a wealthy man who in the past supported the yeshiva very generously. Before visiting him, they went around to other people first. By the time they arrived at his home, they had already collected forty-nine gold coins. But to their dismay and astonishment, the wealthy man gave them just one. The students came back to their Rebbe dejected. The Rebbe told them not to feel bad as he already saw in Heaven that it was determined they would get fifty gold coins from that city. The wealthy man was only able to give them one because they had already gotten forty-nine. Hashem has many ways of supporting people and organizations and it's always amazing when we see in hindsight how He does it. A Rosh Yeshiva from Israel told me that he needed to do some renovations in his yeshiva and he was given a price by a contractor for the entire project. He raised the money and paid the contractor and when it was almost completed, the contractor told him that the electrician's work was going to cost more than expected, an additional five thousand dollars. The Rosh Yeshiva literally did not have another dollar to give and there were no other people he could think of to ask. He prayed to Hashem and asked Him to please cover this new expense that was beyond his budget. A couple of days later, the contractor told the Rosh Yeshiva that the electrician decided to do the extra work free of charge. The Rosh Yeshiva was amazed. He called the electrician to ask him why he would do this. The electrician said his father, who had passed away years before, came to him in a dream and asked him why he wasn't doing enough to raise his soul. He told his father he would donate the work to the yeshiva to raise his neshama and his father was happy. That's exactly the way the story happened and this is how Hashem covered the extra five thousand dollar bill for this yeshiva. The Rosh Yeshiva then told me another story of how Hashem once again helped his yeshiva. He was running an online campaign and the boys from the yeshiva were calling their friends and family for donations. He received a five-figure check from one of the student's family members. This student is already paying the tuition and it's rare for a family member to give that much in addition to the tuition. The boy told him the money came from his grandmother, who was not well-to-do financially. When her husband passed away a few years ago, he told her to give a large check to one organization. He did not know which one to give to, but he told her when the time came she would know where to give it. Over the last three years, she has given numerous small donations to many organizations and never felt that any one of them were the one she should give the large check to. But this time, when her grandson called her, she felt this was the one, and that is how the yeshiva got the large check. Hashem is deciding right now the income of every individual and organization. Tefila at this time can do wonders.