Chassidic story
A Story of Divine Providence
🚗 A Routine Journey
Sometime in the 1980s, there was a man—let’s call him Shmuel—who lived in New York City. Shmuel was a businessman who traveled regularly for work, and three times a year he would drive to Toronto. To save time, he would usually leave New York late at night, drive straight through, and arrive in Toronto early the next morning in time for business.
In those days, the drive from New York City to Toronto by car typically took about eight hours, assuming normal traffic and good conditions. Shmuel had made this overnight journey many times over the years and was very accustomed to it.
😴 A Dangerous Night on the Road
One year, however, while driving late at night on a long, dull stretch of highway somewhere in upstate New York, Shmuel began to feel an unusual and overwhelming fatigue. At first, he ignored it and pushed on.
But when he briefly nodded off and felt the car swerve, he realized he was in serious danger. Understanding that he could not safely continue, he pulled off at the nearest exit.
⛽ A Stop at the Gas Station
At the exit, he stopped at a gas station and asked whether there was a motel or hotel nearby where he could get some rest for a few hours. The attendant told him there was no hotel in the area—but mentioned that there was an old-age home just a few minutes away that had many empty beds.
With no better option, Shmuel drove there.
🏥 An Unusual Request
At the old-age home, Shmuel explained his situation to the woman on duty, the night manager. He asked if it might be possible to rent a bed just for the night.
She agreed, explaining that she didn’t know what the cost would be, but that he could settle payment with the manager in the morning. She added one condition: he should be awake by 8:00 a.m., when the daytime manager arrived.
Grateful, Shmuel accepted, lay down, and slept soundly.
☀️ A Surprising Conversation
The next morning, he rose early and waited to meet the manager. When the manager arrived, he was visibly puzzled. The night manager had told him that an Orthodox Jewish man had stayed overnight in one of the beds.
Shmuel thanked the manager warmly for his hospitality and asked how much he owed. Instead of naming a price, the manager replied:
⛪ An Explanation
“Let me explain something to you. I am a priest in this town, and this old-age home is supported mainly by charity. I will not accept any money from you. But I find it remarkable—perhaps Divine Providence—that you arrived here last night.”
He continued:
“We have had one Jewish resident here for over ten years. Several years ago, he became unable to pay for his care. We tried contacting his relatives, but they had completely cut off contact. He had no money, no support, and nowhere else to go, so we decided to keep him here as a charity case.
“Yesterday, he passed away.”
⚰️ A Difficult Situation
The manager paused, then said quietly:
“Funeral arrangements are very expensive, especially burial in the ground. Because we lack the funds, we planned to cremate him, as is customary for Christians. And now—on the very night he passes away—God sends an Orthodox Jew to our door. Perhaps you would be willing to take responsibility for your fellow Jew and arrange a proper burial.”
✡️ A Mitzvah Accepted
Shmuel immediately agreed.
“This is a clear case of mesi mitzvah,” he said. “And it would be my honor.”
He obtained the death certificate and all the necessary documents, had the body released, and instead of driving north to Toronto, he turned south toward the nearest Jewish community—Monroe, New York, home to the Satmar Chassidim.
🕊️ Kindness Without Conditions
There, he contacted the local chevra kadisha. They explained that their cemetery was private and reserved for specific families, but they would gladly perform a full taharah. Within four hours, they had completed the ritual purification, immersed the body in a mikveh, dressed him in proper tachrichim, and provided a new casket—all free of charge.
They placed the casket into Shmuel’s station wagon and informed him that there was an organization in Manhattan dedicated specifically to mesi mitzvah, with burial sections reserved for such cases.
📞 One More Step
Shmuel contacted the organization and was instructed to meet them not in Manhattan, but at a cemetery on Long Island.
Several hours later, he arrived with the body, ready for burial.
😲 A Startling Moment
As the casket was brought toward the freshly dug grave, the administrator of the mesi mitzvah organization asked to see the paperwork. He studied the name, then froze.
“I need to make a few phone calls,” he said. “If this is true, I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
He stepped away for several minutes.
🌱 An Astonishing Revelation
When he returned, the color had drained from his face.
“You will not believe this,” he said. “This man we are about to bury was once very wealthy. Not only that—he donated this entire section of land specifically to be used for mesi mitzvah burials.”
🕯️ Divine Providence
He paused and said:
“And now, after years of solitude and anonymity, he himself is being laid to rest with dignity—on the very land he had once given so that others would never be abandoned in death.”