But now he didn’t feel anything. It was as though he was meeting Reb Eliyahu at Shacharis in shul. No, that wasn’t a good analogy, because when someone owed money and he was hard-pressed to pay, it was evident not only within the walls of this room. So it was as if... as if Eliyahu was a resident of the neighborhood who had never borrowed a thing from him. That was his feeling now when looking at Potolsky. “I came for two things,” Potolsky said as he sat down. “Actually, three.” And before Reb Menachem could leaf through his blue notebook, Potolsky pulled out a bundle of bills in a rubber band from his suit pocket. “Here is 40,000 shekels. That’s the loan I took a month and a half ago,” he said. Reb Menachem stared at him. “Wow,” he noted quietly. “The Reb Menachem’s loan is for 10 months, and you’re returning it in less than two...” fingers were fi- He took the wad of bills and becounting under his breath, nally holding the gan fingering the notes one after the “It’s all here,” he said as he right promissory other. opened the notebook and crossed note, but now he out the loan details. He hadn’t yet had a chance to was at a loss for find the actual promissory note the binder when Potolsky said, words. in “Now I want to ask for a loan of 20,000 shekels.” “You’re a very organized person, Reb Eliyahu,” Rabbi Auerbach said, “but you could have returned just half of the 40,000. We spoke about repayment in installments in any case.” “I prefer not to mix up the different accounts. This new loan is for the mortgage of my older daughter. We haven’t finished paying for her apartment yet.” “And the 40,000?” “That was for my second daughter.” The gemach director was quiet as he turned the plastic sheet protectors in his binder. The descriptions his wife and daughter had shared about their recent encounter with Potolsky’s daughter rose in his mind, and warning bells went off. What was going on there with the second daughter? “Besides that, I wanted to consult with you about who in the neighborhood could be a recipient of ma’aser money.” “How much?” “About 18,000 shekels.” Reb Menachem’s fingers were finally holding the right promissory note, but now he was at a loss for words. “Rabbi Potolsky, could you please explain to me what exactly is going on?” “We got a special grant,” Eliyahu chose his words carefully, “to marry off this daughter. Therefore, I can return everything that I borrowed for her wed-
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ding, because I am managing, baruch Hashem, without loans. For the older one, though, I have to continue paying the mortgage as usual...” “And what about the 18,000 that you want to give?” “So I’m not sure how much it’ll be in the end; it depends how much of the total we end up using. For now I brought 10,000. I asked a rav, and he said I don’t have to give ma’aser on the money that we were given specifically for the apartment, but that it is the right thing to give ma’aser from the grant for all of the other expenses. And I had to ask permission from those giving us the money.” “Nu, so take the ma’aser and use it for your older daughter’s mortgage.” The gemach director smiled. “What could be simpler than that?” “I should give ma’aser to myself?” “Oh, this mortgage is what you committed to pay?” “Part of it.” “Well, then, I guess in that case, it really isn’t right.” He stroked his beard. “What is this grant, may I ask? Do you think we can speak to this donor who gives apartments and money to the needy like that, and try to get him to help out some other young couples?” “Well, it’s not exactly like that.” Eliyahu was a bit uneasy. “It’s something very specific… There’s someone who wanted to donate money in memory of his parents, to a couple whose names are the same as his parents’... rather unusual names.” “What are they?” Reb Menachem was very curious. “Peretz and Tziporah Genendel.” “What siyata d’Shmaya! And those are the names he was looking for? How did he find you?” “Today the whole world is a global village, they say, right? And it did take him time. From what I understand, he’s been working on finding a couple with these names for a few years already.” “Very nice, very nice. It’s always heartwarming to hear such stories of hashgacha pratis. Anyway, if you’re looking for someone to give the ma’aser money to, I think that Ganz could really use it. I don’t want to go into details, but I’m sure you’ve heard what they’re going through...” “Yes, yes.” “And I have two other names, some other people in the neighborhood,” Auerbach said tentatively. “You know what, don’t even tell me who they are. I’ll leave the 10,000 shekels here, and you distribute it, okay? And, please, don’t mention where the money came from...” “Oh, sure, no problem at all. Thank you very, very much. And I’m transferring the guarantors from the 40,000 shekels that you just gave me to the 20,000 that you’re taking now, right?” To be continued...