The Deal That Wasn’t—and the Blessing That Followed

Every Jew—just by being a Jew, a child of our Father in Heaven—has deep, pure emunah (faith) in the Creator. Even when someone seems far from belief or observance, if we could just see into their heart, we'd discover a soul full of faith. Sometimes, it's just hidden beneath layers that make it hard to live by.

When we see our fellow Jews this way—with understanding and love—we can’t judge them. We begin to see their inner goodness, and no harsh words will ever leave our mouths about another Jew. The following story is a beautiful reminder of this truth.

This story was shared by a Jewish man who gave Torah classes in a community that wasn’t yet religious. One of the regular attendees was a Jewish factory owner who made lighting fixtures. After one class, the factory owner approached him with an important question.

“I’m about to sign a big contract tomorrow,” he said. “A mosque has asked for a major lighting installation, and the deal is worth around half a million shekels.” That’s over $150,000.

He asked simply, “Is it allowed to make such a sale—to install lighting in a mosque?”

The teacher wasn’t sure. “I don’t know,” he replied. “But my close friend is the driver for Rabbi Michal Yehuda Lefkowitz, and I can call him right now to ask.”

In front of the factory owner, the teacher called his friend, who happened to be with Rabbi Lefkowitz in the car at that very moment. The question was presented, and the answer came quickly: “It is not forbidden,” the Rabbi said gently, “but there will be no blessing from this transaction.”

The moment the factory owner heard that, he made a firm decision. “If the Rosh Yeshiva (head of the yeshiva) says there won’t be blessing, then I’m not signing,” he said. But he added honestly, “I know for sure that my business competitor will be offered the job instead. Still, if that’s the halachah (Jewish law) and the Rabbi’s guidance, I’ll follow it—even though it’s a big challenge.”

Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. His competitor got the deal.

The Guard Raised His Weapon: “Get Out—Now!”

A month later, the factory owner returned to the teacher to tell him what had happened next.

“My competitor was given the job,” he said, “and received an advance of 50,000 shekels to start buying materials. He spent about 300,000 shekels on equipment, brought it all into the mosque, and planned to return the next day to begin the work.”

But when he came back the next morning and knocked on the gate, the guard looked at him with suspicion. “What do you want?” he asked.

“I came to install the lighting,” the man answered. “I brought the equipment yesterday.”

The guard called the mosque leadership. Then, turning back to the installer, he shouted, “What lighting?! We didn’t order anything from you! Leave immediately!”

The man was stunned. He tried to explain—but the guard suddenly aimed his weapon and threatened him. Terrified, he ran for his life, leaving behind all the expensive materials. Out of fear, he never filed a complaint. He lost 250,000 shekels.

The Words of Torah Are Eternal

This story reminds us how true the words of our sages are—alive and enduring. Not one word they say is in vain. A Jew who listens to daas Torah (the wisdom of Torah leaders) is never truly harmed.

Here we see an “ordinary” Jew who passed an extraordinary test. He gave up a huge business opportunity for the sake of following a rabbi’s advice, even though it cost him a deal and gave a leg up to his competitor. But he gained something far greater: Hashem’s protection and blessing.

Rabbi Zilberstein, who shared the story, added that after hearing Rabbi Lefkowitz’s response, he looked for the source in halachah. He found it clearly written in Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 139:15:

“Some say it is forbidden to lend for the purpose of building a house of idol worship, or to provide its ornaments or utensils. All the more so, not to sell things for its service. And whoever refrains—will prosper. From the positive, you can infer the negative.”

This story reminds us: there is no such thing as “just an ordinary Jew.” Inside every Jew is a spark of greatness, waiting to shine.