Our story took place in 5776, three years ago. You might remember that it was a Hakhel year. In a Hakhel year, Chassidim travel to the Rebbe en masse to be with the king. Not only during Tishrei is 770 packed with guests; it’s like that all year.
The hero of this story is a Chassid by the name of Menachem A. Menachem tries to go to the Rebbe every year for Tishrei. That year, his oldest daughter was becoming bas mitzva in Cheshvan. He and his wife wanted to give her the best present of all, a trip to the Rebbe, for Tishrei.
Menachem’s daughter was very excited about the upcoming trip when she would get to be with the Rebbe for the first time. However, in order to leave Eretz Yisrael and enter America, she needed a passport and visa. They got to work on it a bit late and had to wait for the passport and visa to be ready. One day passed and then two. Rosh Hashana passed and so did Yom Kippur and the passport and visa had still not come. The dream of traveling to the Rebbe for Tishrei was fading but they still had hope that they could go for Succos.
Succos were already seen on the streets and fathers and sons were visiting the four minim markets and the passport had still not arrived. The first day of Succos passed and it was on Chol Ha’Moed that they got the news that the passport was ready.
Now what? Should they go just for Simchas Torah? They discussed it a lot and finally decided to postpone the trip. Menachem and his daughter remained home as they imagined themselves in 770 participating in the simcha. Their hearts were in New York with the Rebbe but they were in Eretz Yisrael.
On Chanuka of that year, the girl went to New York with her mother. What about Menachem? He is a mashgiach of kashrus. Throughout the year he is unable to get away, even for a week, but a Chassid like Menachem will not forgo the great privilege, especially in a Hakhel year. He waited for an opportune time, and it came.
The year was nearing its end; it was the month of Av. While mourning for the churban, during the Nine Days we do not eat meat. Menachem had fewer hours of work. This was the best time to go to the Rebbe.
He ordered a ticket and on the day of his flight, the suitcases were packed and ready. Menachem was about to leave. His wife gave him some more food for the trip and made a request: “Please bring me some kind of regards from the Rebbe.” Menachem nodded and set out.
“Many times, I’ve heard about people getting a dollar or some other sign of blessing from the Rebbe; some sort of warm regards. If only I will get that too!” wished his wife, but she didn’t dare have high expectations.
Menachem hoped he would succeed in doing as his wife asked and bring back a special present from New York.
The flight was uneventful. Without needing much time to recover, Menachem went to 770. Although these were ordinary weekdays, every day in 770 was like a holiday, especially that year, Hakhel.
Late on motzoei Shabbos, when Shabbos was also over in New York, his wife charged her cell phone so she could call her husband.
“You won’t believe it. I have regards from the Rebbe!” Menachem said excitedly.
“Regards? What do you mean?”
“A dollar! A dollar from the Rebbe!”
“A dollar? Where did you get it from?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Menachem said, “On Friday morning, after davening, a friend who is also here came over to me with a dollar. My name was on it! I recognized the familiar handwriting; it’s my father’s.”
“Is this yours?” he asked me.
“Yes,” I said in amazement. “How did you get it?”
“A bachur just found it. He considered keeping it but since I know you and knew you were here, I told him that the owner of the dollar is a few feet away from him! So here, you have the dollar back.”
Menachem added another interesting detail. On the dollar it said the date, 15 Av, which was very close to that date that he was at the Rebbe.
The question was, when did he get this dollar.
It turned out that 15 Av of that year was not on a Sunday (the day the Rebbe gave out dollars for tzedaka). What was the occasion for receiving a dollar?
Menachem told the story to his family in order to fill in the missing details. After investigation, he learned that he was six years old at the time and had gone to the Rebbe with his father and sister. That day there was a special farbrengen with the Rebbe at the end of which the Rebbe gave out dollars. 15 Av is a date that the Rebbe farbrenged for many years.
How did the dollar get lost and when? That is still unclear but not important. The main thing is that the dollar came back and just at the right time.
His wife was very excited by this regards and the thought occurred to her that she wanted another regards from the Rebbe, another dollar or sign. The Rebbe’s answer soon came.
Since Menachem’s family was excited about the dollar, his mother made copies of what the Rebbe said at that farbrengen. When Menachem’s wife read it, she saw that the Rebbe said that the quantity is not important; the main thing is quality. She immediately understood that this was an answer for her. The main thing is quality, that with one dollar of the Rebbe there is tremendous blessing. ■