A Letter for Hachnosas Kalla

Rav Elimelech Biderman related that Rav Mordechai of Zvhill, before he became Rebbe, needed twenty-six thousand dollars for an upcoming chasuna. He went to the office of the Eitz Chaim Yeshiva, where he studied, and asked the director to give him the addresses of wealthy donors in America, because he wanted to write to them and ask for help with the chasuna.

The director did not want to give him the addresses, since he wanted those donors' support for the yeshiva. So he gave Rav Mordechai some old addresses of people who used to support the yeshiva but had not given a donation for a long time.

When Rav Mordechai came home with the list, his wife rebuked him. "Do you really think that these are going to help you? The director certainly gave you the addresses of people who don't have money any more." Rav Mordechai explained that he was doing hishtadlus (the effort a person must make).

"If your goal is hishtadlus, why do you have to send letters to all of them?" she asked. "Just send one letter, and that will be your hishtadlus."

Rav Mordechai replied, "You're right. I'll send only one letter."

He sent off one letter, and soon received an envelope in return with a check for twenty-six thousand dollars inside. Rav Mordechai went to the director to thank him for the addresses.

The director was shocked. "You mean your letters were answered?"

"Not the letters," said Rav Mordechai. "I only sent one letter, and I received twenty-six thousand dollars." And he told him the name of the ba'al tzedoka (charitable man).

The director called up the ba'al tzedoka and said, "I see that you have money, because you just gave one of our talmidim twenty-six thousand dollars for hachnossas kalla. So why did you stop sending money to the yeshiva?"

The man replied, "I don't have money any more. The money was from my daughter, who is a kalla. After her engagement, we discovered that she has an illness. We went to Rav Moshe Feinstein and asked him whether we must tell the chosson and the mechutonim about it. Rav Moshe inquired as to the nature of the illness, and then ruled that we don't need to say anything. 'However,' Rav Moshe advised, 'if your daughter has some money of her own, it is a good idea for her to give it for hachnossas kalla. In the merit that she helps another kalla go to the chuppa, she will also merit going to her chuppa.' Just then, we received Rav Mordechai's letter, and his request for hachnossas kalla. My daughter works, so she had some money saved up. She emptied her account and immediately sent it to Rav Mordechai, for his daughter's wedding."

Rav Mordechai had bitochon (trust in Hashem), and he received all the money he needed with one letter.

This story is an example of hashgocha protis (Divine providence). Immediately after Rav Moshe advised them to donate money for hachnossas kalla, Rav Mordechai's letter arrived in the mail.