Divine Timing: “It Was Almost My Turn — Then a Stranger Walked In with the Most Unexpected Request”

A businessman and Torah-loving Jew living in Queens shared this touching story with Rabbi Yechiel Novick: “My car started acting up, so I brought it to a well-known garage I trust. It’s not close to my home, but they’re reliable and do quality work, so I knew it was worth the trip,” he began. “When I arrived, I saw a long line of cars ahead of me. I realized I’d probably spend the whole day there—but what could I do? The car needed fixing.”

As the hours passed, he began to keep an eye on the time. “It was getting close to sunset, and I suddenly thought—Mincha! I never miss a minyan, no matter how busy I am. I started asking around if there was a shul nearby, but it turned out the town didn’t have a weekday minyan. The closest one was in the next city, about 20 minutes away.”

Then the tension really started building. “The garage owner told me my turn was next. But I looked at the clock—just 40 minutes until sunset. I knew I couldn’t get the car fixed and still drive to a minyan in time. I quietly turned to Hashem and prayed: Please, help me. Send me some sort of leap on the way…”

That’s when something unexpected happened. “Another man walked into the garage. He didn’t look Jewish—he was in a rush, moving quickly between his car and the entrance. I thought for sure he’d try to take my spot because he had some kind of emergency.” But instead, the man walked straight up to him and said, almost pleading: “Would you mind heading two blocks from here? There’s a house of mourning. They have nine people for Mincha… they just need one more for the minyan.”

The businessman froze for a second. “I had just prayed to Hashem to help me find a way to daven with a minyan… and now I was the one being asked to help them complete one. It was like Hashem flipped the whole picture.” Without hesitation, he followed the man to the house of mourning, helping to make the minyan. Not only did he not miss Mincha—he became the reason it happened at all.

And what about his car? “When I got back, I assumed I had missed my turn. But the garage owner smiled and said, ‘Perfect timing—we just finished checking your car. It’s ready to go.’”

Sometimes, all it takes is one heartfelt prayer—and Hashem answers it in ways we never expect. Even through a complete stranger, two blocks away, with just a simple but holy mission.