A Rainy Night, a Stranger, and a Hidden Gift from Hashem

Ari Tenenbaum had no idea that a simple act of kindness on a stormy night would turn into a powerful reminder of how closely Hashem watches over our lives.

It all started with joyful news: his wife had just given birth to a baby girl at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. Mazel tov! The birth came unexpectedly, and in the rush, the hospital bag wasn’t fully packed. So after making sure his wife was settled and cared for by visiting family, Ari got into his car and headed home to pick up the missing items.

The drive there was smooth—but on the way back, the weather suddenly turned wild. Thunder cracked, lightning lit up the sky, and within moments, heavy rain poured down. To make things more complicated, the main tunnel road was closed, forcing Ari to detour through a narrow, winding road that passed through an Arab village. It was the kind of road you wouldn’t choose to drive at night, especially not in a storm.

As cars crawled forward in a slow convoy, hazard lights blinking, Ari spotted something out of the ordinary: a car parked on the side with its own hazards flashing. As he passed, he glanced over and saw a man changing a flat tire, completely drenched from the rain.

Ari’s heart pulled in two directions. On one hand—his wife was waiting. He had the supplies she needed, and the weather wasn’t getting any better. But on the other hand—he had an umbrella, and this poor man was out there getting soaked.

Back and forth he went in his mind. “My wife is waiting… but he’s wet… my wife… he’s wet…”

In the end, his heart made the call. Ari pulled over, turned on his hazard lights, took his umbrella, and stepped out to help.

As the man changed the tire, Ari held the umbrella over both of them. He asked gently, “Are you on your way to Hadassah?”

“Yes,” the man replied.

“Is your wife giving birth?” Ari asked.

“No,” the man smiled. “She’s a midwife. Her name is Hila.”

Ari paused. That name sounded familiar. “Is she… French?”

“Yes,” the man said.

Now Ari’s heart skipped a beat.

Hila—the French midwife—was his wife’s midwife. The very woman who had helped bring his baby girl into the world earlier that day.

He was stunned. In the middle of a dark, rainy detour, he had stumbled upon the husband of the woman who had helped deliver his daughter.

“It felt like a kiss from Heaven,” Ari shared. “I got the chance to give something back—however small—for what his wife had given us. What are the chances of that?”

He ended his post with simple, heartfelt words: “Through free love—we will prevail.”