TRUE STORY: How to Cause a Great Big Kiddush Hashem

August 18, 2009 | Comments 0

This story illustrates the sheer power of just being a decent person. I wanted to share it with my readers because of the powerful lessons that can be learned from it.

Rabbi Dovid Kresh, the menahel and 9th grade Rebbe at Yeshivas Novominsk, was in Shop Rite in Liberty NY this past Sunday evening. As he prepared to exit the parking lot, his car scraped into another parked car and made a sizeable dent in it. Immediately, his thoughts were to just drive away. After all, who would know the difference. Nevertheless, he decided to wait until the owner of the car arrived.

He waited for a half an hour until the owner finally appeared. He was an elderly man, an old Jewish resident of the Catskills whose called himself Robert. He has been living in the Catskills for years, and was not religious.

Rabbi Kresh apologized, and gave him whatever money he had on him, which amounted to $500. He told Robert that whatever extra it costs he would give him the next day, as he did not have the cash at that moment. Robert agreed, and drove off in his newly dented car.

The next day in the Novominsker Camp, Robert pulls up and asks for Rabbi Kresh. He has come to collect whatever extra the repairs costed, but now he is sporting a large yarmulka on his head. “Rabbi Kresh,” he announced. “I am not Robert. My name is Reuvain. Today, after seeing your honesty and integrity, I am proud to be a Jew.”

Can anyone put a price tag on this? Surely, the reward for this Kiddush Hashem is worth far greater than the repair expense for “Reuvain’s” car.

I dare to ask, “Would you do this?”

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