The Reward for Backing Down

Two brides, one wedding hall

From the distance he could hear the shouting and the wedding hall manager's heart sank. What could be the problem? As he entered the building, one of his employees hurried to intercept him. 

"I don't know how it happened, but both families of the bride think they booked the larger hall," he told him. "I don't know what to do."

The building contained two wedding halls, one larger and the other significantly smaller. On most night, both were booked, and this night was no exception, only it was all going wrong.

"I'll try talking to them. Maybe someone will agree to compromise," the manager said, and headed off in the direction of the shouting, directed at that moment at the catering manager as he was the most senior staff member present.

Who will back down?

"Hi, I'm the manager of the wedding hall. What seems to be the problem?" he said as he approached the angry knot of people.

Two men turned to face him; both started speaking at the same time and both had the same thing to say: "I booked the larger hall, not the smaller one. There's no way I can fit all my guests into the smaller hall!"

The manager first addressed one of the men, who shot back that he would sue if he didn't get the hall he had booked. Then he turned to the other man. "Listen," he said, gently taking him by the arm and leading him into a side room. "I'm so sorry about what's happened. It was our mistake and I apologize. But as you can see, there's nothing that can be done about that now. Perhaps you could take the smaller hall, and we'll compensate you for the trouble."

The man shrugged. "You're right. But I wish you luck persuading my wife. She has no intention of backing down."

"Can you ask her to come and speak with me?" the manager requested.

Would you like a special mitzvah — and its reward?

The woman was soon found and the expression on her face indicated that the manager was going to be disappointed. Nonetheless, he tried.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what's happened and I take full responsibility. I have already told your husband that we will offer suitable compensation if you could take the smaller hall." He took a deep breath, and then added, "I know how hard it is, but you have a rare opportunity to fulfill a special mitzvah and give in to the other family and stop all the arguments. Perhaps there's somewhere in your life that you're in need of a special Heavenly merit?"

The woman's face crumpled and tears formed in her eyes. Then she told the manager that just last week, doctors had discovered a malignant growth in her father's lymph nodes, and in a few days he would be starting treatment at a hospital in Belgium.

"We can take the smaller hall," she said quietly. "And in this merit, may my father have a complete recovery."

The mitzvah defeats the cancer

A few days later, her father arrived at the hospital in Belgium to undergo his first chemotherapy treatment. Before the treatment, the doctors did one last CT scan. A short while later, they entered his hospital room.

"It appears from this scan that the growth is benign, after all," they told him. "So you're in luck — no chemotherapy is needed."

The man, and his daughter, knew that there was nothing "lucky" about it at all.

Related by Rabbi Elimelech Biderman