I had been away for Yom Tov and it would take at least two hours for me to arrive home for the funeral. My family was in a dilemma, because they were hoping to make the levayah as soon as possible so they could then make the last flight to Eretz Yisrael, at 1 a.m. If they waited for me, however, I would only arrive at 11 p.m., and that would be cutting it too close to the flight’s departure time.

We discussed our quandary with the travel agent, how waiting until the next morning’s flight would mean a long delay of our father’s burial, yet making the funeral earlier would mean I would not be able to attend. Was there perhaps a delayed flight leaving later than 1 a.m.?

Lo and behold, the travel agent reported back to us that there was a flight later that night, at 3:30 a.m. Truly a wonder of wonders. For at least 20 years there has never been a flight at that hour, yet on this past Motzaei Pesach there was one direct flight to Eretz Yisrael scheduled for 3:30!

We marveled at the Hashgachah pratis we had merited — a fluke flight in middle of the night especially for our father z”l. And so, the levayah was held at 11, I was able to attend, and yes, we were aboard the plane at 3:30 a.m.

This miraculous occurrence makes a story in and of itself. But as we contemplated our personal miracle more and more, and had time to reflect during the days of the shivah, we realized that perhaps this unnatural turn of events was in some way connected to an old, almost-forgotten story my father once shared about himself.

“When I was a bochur,” he’d told us, “my family lived in Williamsburg and we davened in the Bostoner beis medrash. One Shabbos, a tragedy happened in the beis medrash. I cannot forget the scene. A meshulach from Eretz Yisrael was found lying lifeless. He had suddenly passed away.

“Chaos reigned in the beis medrash. Everyone was frightened and confused, not knowing what to do and how to attend honorably to the deceased man. Someone suggested that Reb Pinchas Mandel, known for handling such emergencies proficiently, should be summoned. Promptly, a messenger was on his way and before long Reb Pinchas arrived at the scene, and attended to the niftar and the situation appropriately.

“Tension and sadness… eerily, unavoidably… crept its way into the atmosphere of Shabbos that week.

“Came Motzaei Shabbos and the congregants were abuzz with plans for transporting the niftar back to Eretz Yisrael. I overheard the discussions about the next available flight. In those days, flights to Eretz Yisrael weren’t as frequent as they are today. KLM had flights twice a week, but they weren’t direct . It seemed the burial of this man would be delayed till the end of the week!

“I was a bochur in my early twenties but mature enough, I guess, to understand the ramifications, the disgrace to the niftar. I was disturbed by what I was hearing. Suddenly, an idea struck me. I rushed over to Reb Pinchas and asked him what it would entail to transport the body faster. For a proper sum of money, perhaps, could something better be arranged?

“Reb Pinchos said, ‘Yes, for $3,000 in cash, an immediate flight could be arranged.’

“I had some money of my own, and my heart was overwhelmed with pity for a forlorn niftar left to linger without friends or family at his side. ‘Okay,’ I said decidedly, ‘I’m going home to get you $3,000 in cash. Please, do what you can.’

“I raced home, about a 15-minute walk from the shul, and came back shortly afterward with the promised sum. [Three thousand dollars was a fortune in those days, as the average salary was about $75 a week.] Somehow, I felt it was the right thing to do, and there seemed to be no one else who could. So I did it.

“That very night, the body of the meshulach was on its way to Eretz Yisrael. I knew I had contributed to a good cause.”

Need more be said about the measure-for-measure justice the Ribbono shel Olam uses to run His world? Need more be said about the impact made by a good deed? The very chesed shel emes that a Yid performed six decades earlier, was repaid in his hour of need in the same way.

Just as it was unlikely for the meshulach’s flight to be arranged in its time, another unlikely flight was arranged at 3:30 a.m. Motzaei Pesach for someone who years before had exerted himself to bring a fellow Jew to immediate, honorable kever Yisrael.

Yehi zichro baruch.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 742)