They laughed and congratulated themselves on a good “find” as they marched away, leaving me alone and wounded

F

ischel and Zissy couldn’t believe their eyes. Fischel leaped to his feet and embraced his nephew. He had never seen Moshe before, but now that he looked closer, he could clearly see the resemblance between the man before him and his own brother Leibel.

“It’s been a very harrowing journey; I must tell you… I was in a shipwreck, and there was seemingly no way I would survive. The last thing I remember is being thrown into the sea, as the ship began to sink underneath the stormy waves. As far as I could tell, no one else on the ship survived except for me. I was lost and floating on a piece of wood among other bits of the broken ship, but Hashem led me to land. Somehow, I still had a pouch of money slung across my shoulder, and when I made it onto dry land I set off for the nearest outpost of civilization in order to make it here to you.

“It was crystal clear to me that the gemara, “Tzedakah Tatzil memaves!” was what saved my life, and what was continuing to give me the life and energy to put one weary foot in front of the other. My father had always given so much to so many, just as I am sure you do as well, Uncle Fischel.

“Finally, I came upon some people. But instead of receiving help, and perhaps some food and water, they attacked me viciously and left me for dead in the middle of a forest. The money pouch was of course stripped from my body, and they laughed and congratulated themselves on a good “find” as they marched away, leaving me alone and wounded.