Yaakov and Yosef were lifelong friends. In fact, they were chavrusa for thirty years, since their days in Yeshivas Chaim Berlin in New York. Every evening they studied together in a night-kollel in The Five Towns, while they worked during the day.
One evening, before they began learning, Yaakov turned to Yosef: “Yosef, I need your help.” “How can I help? What’s happening?” came the response. “Yosef, I need a loan. Business has taken a downturn, and I need some money to keep things afloat while I can recoup some losses. I have a plan, but I don’t have the capital to help me out! Are you able to lend me some money for 5 years?”
Yosef’s immediate response to his lifelong friend was: “Of course I would like to help! But you know I am not a wealthy person myself! How much do you think you might need?”
There was a pause in the conversation. “Yosef, if I told you I need $250,000 – would that shock you?”
Now it was Yosef’s turn to pause. A quarter of a million dollars! How on earth will I be able to help my friend! I have nothing close to that to lend!””Ya’acov – let me think about it. I need to speak to my wife.”
That evening Yosef went home to speak to his wife. On the one hand, they really didn’t have the money. Where would they find so much money to lend someone? “But I know that Yaakov is such a good person, and I know he’s having a very difficult time right now! How is he going to find the money? How are we going to find the money? We only just finished paying off the mortgage – the loan we had to take out to buy our house!”
At that moment, Yosef and his wife looked at each other. They both had the same crazy thought. Yosef was the first to speak. “We both he’ll pay us back, right? We both know he’s my closest friend! Let’s take out another mortgage for $250,000, and we will lend him the amount for five years! The minute he pays back, we will pay back the bank! We won’t even need to tell him about this!” Slowly, Yosef’s wife nodded her head and said, “You are absolutely right. Nothing can go wrong if we are really doing this LeShem Shamayim!”
Unbeknownst to Yaakov, Yosef made his way to the bank. He signed for another loan, signed 30 pages of terms and insurances, and gets the money. Immediately, he calls Yaakov, at which Yaakov is lost for words. “You have really saved my whole business! Thank you so much. I promise I will pay you back within 5 years! Hashem should bless you for this unbelievable chesed.”
***
New York was never ready for Hurricane Sandy. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy damaged $70 Billion worth of property. Many houses were not insured. All the houses on Yosef’s block had been paid for years before – many years before the banks made people sign “hurricane insurance” policies. The only house on the block to have been paid for fully by the insurance company was Yosef’s, because of the new mortgage he took out.
True story, heard third-hand.
***
The entire story of Yetzias Mitzrayim and the ten makkos is designed for us to be cognizant that Hashem directs our world. Through undoing our natural world and displaying the Hashem’s total mastery by means of the plagues, we how Hashem is involved in the world, both in the “big story” and in all of our “small stories,” like Yosef’s.
This may be a story about the protection that an act of chesed affords us. The added dimension, however, is how Hashem uses the very tool of self-sacrifice to protect and help us.
May we continue to appreciate Hashem’s hashgacha upon us, and experience the hand of Hashem in every corner of our lives.
