S/o frum man at the grocery.

Success10 ↓

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 3:12 am

I was at a supermarket checkout line here in Israel and the Chareidi lady in front of me was holding her screaming baby. The baby had on his legs that brace thing that corrects clubfeet. And while all this was going on with the screaming in the background her card wouldn't go through. The cashier was new when she called over someone else to help her and the other girl who worked at the store, a secular Israeli, pulled out her own credit card and discretely paid for the lady's groceries. Afterwards the lady with the screaming baby said "It's all taken care of? What happened? " and they said don't worry it's fine and she said "wait, you paid for me??? how can I pay you back??" I don't even know how it ended. I was just so taken aback how these cashiers didn't see any boundaries or hate between different factions of Israelis society. hey just saw a sister in need.

↑ Success10

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 3:21 am

This is not a huge act of kindness, but rather a small one, just it stands out in that it shatters stereotypes. I stepped out of my apartment door with the stinkiest bag of diapers imaginable. Right then, my upstairs neighbor, who is also a Rosh Kollel in a prominent yeshiva, was headed downstairs with his own large garbage bag. He pointed at his bag (without making eye contact of course) saying he's heading to the garbage anyway, symboling that I should toss in my own bag. I said "no, no, I couldn't" and he insisted. I've also had the most straight laced chareidi men offer to help (again, without making eye contact) with my heavy groceries or lifting strollers up stairs.

amother

Stone

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 2:09 pm

Just had to chime in here and say, wow, what a beautiful uplifting thread. I don't usually have time to comment but just had to now. As someone who struggles to pay for groceries, I can relate to the difficult situations those were in. I just usually purchase on account and pay later and that in itself is a huge chesed on the grocery's part. I've also had donations over the years from various tzaddikim for help with tuition, fertility treatments or just getting thru the month. All is appreciated and mi keamcha yisroel.

amother

DarkGreen

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 3:08 pm

These stories are amazing and came on such a good day.
3 months after my son was born my grandfather was nifter and the levaya was in Israel.
I live in an israeli area and had moved just before ds was born so didnt really know anyone from the area besides the neighbours a little. I didnt have anyone to watch ds for the levaya, it was morning so all neighbours were working. I pumped milk and took him with hoping he would be calm. He fell asleep on the way so left him at the back of the levaya room and stood with my family. a few mins in, my sisters friend (I dont think I had ever seen her before but heard alot about her, she was a middle aged women more like a mentor for my sis) who had come to the levaya wispered in my ear, 'I'll take your baby, you can take your time'
It was such a relief not having to worry that he will wake up and the fact he was at the levaya wasnt sitting right.

Today my neighbour who has a 1 year old in my gan called, she had asked yesterday if she can keep her child for an extra 40 mins as she needed to stay in work. Now her grandfather was nifter and the levaya was straight away, 'how long can she leave the baby by me before asking a different neighbour to take over?' I was so happy to keep her baby who hates stranger but knows me and my house and was a little angel. I was so happy to pay it forward.

amother

Oleander

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 3:14 pm

I was in Israel for the first time, 18 years old. I had gotten out of the bus and found that my bag (under the bus) had gone to the other side. Wasn't sure what to do, wasn't comfortable in the language, didn't want the bus leaving with my bag but also couldn't climb in - what if they closed it on me....
Some man (kollel yungerman? chareidi looking) standing on the sidewalk must have noticed. Not sure how he figured out what was going on but suddenly he just went in, took out my bag, gave it to me, and that was that. I don't think we even exchanged any words or eye contact.

amother

Ivory

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 3:57 pm

Absolutely love this thread!
My uncle who used to take public transportation every day to commute to and from work was know as the tzaddik who'd help everyone. Oftentimes there were mothers with multiple children waiting for the bus sometimes with crying babies and heavy strollers....
He'd usually help fold and stash away the strollers and then help them if they'd get off at the same stop.
I've seen my father smile to parents of tandruming kids and gently pinch the kids cheeks and that would make the kids stop screaming and usually smile back. Random strangers. But back in the day where I grew up it was socially appropriate ok/appropriate/not creepy. But usually not done cuz people usually kept to themselves.

Dh has paid peoples groceries in the past. We feel it is a privilege to be able to do that. The only difference between the poeple who need their groceries paid for and those who pay for others is that hashem decided who should be on which end of the transaction.
We aren't rich by any standards. The best we've been is "comfortable" at times. But bh there have always been enough for some kindness.

Someone once commented on my toddler, "dc is so content and securely attached".
As a mother I always worry if I'm giving my kids enough and if in attentive enough. It really opend my eyes that yes, my baby is content and happy. It really gave me a boost in my confidence. And ability as a mother. It's been many years and children later but I still remember it.

amother

Peony

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 3:59 pm

My single brother was very careful with his prized car and very protective of it.

He was by me for shabbos in my bungalow colony, which has one parking lot way too small and shabbos it was literally full to capacity almost like a rush hour board.

We were sitting outside on Motzei Shabbos, near our bungalow which is the first one by the parking lot, and saw a couple surreptitiously trying to leave the colony, probably heading to the Mikvah.
When they saw how many cars they would need to involve to move their car they were very lost… ( it would’ve been very obvious where they were headed.)

Next thing I know, my brother walked to them with his car keys in his hand, handed it to the guy and walked off. ( his car was not blocked in at all).

I was super proud!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 4:42 pm

I was on the train headed to a medical appointment in the city.
It was rush-hour and I was struggling to get off the train, which was made more difficult by my dc's oxygen bag and feeding pump paraphanalia.

This was the first time I had attempted this trip myself and I was deeply regretting my bravado. My husband had a last minute work meeting and had wanted to arrange a ride from a community chesed org.

As the door was about to close my son's Rosh Mesivta called my name. No, he did not offer to help me, he just picked up the stroller with all the paraphanelia and ran up the stairs and placed it on the street! He had two talmidim with him who ran after him trying to help but he just wished me refuah sh'leima. He turned round and went back down the steps.

It was then that I realised that this wasn't his stop, he had gotten off solely to help me!

And he wasn't young! I would love to 'out' him here, he's very well known but I don't think he'd appreciate that.

The next day he asked my son how his sick sibling is doing...

I said to my husband afterwards that next time I'll swallow my pride and ask for a ride from the chesed org!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 5:00 pm

amother OP wrote:

My OP and this post both took place at a time a had a medically fragile child. This was over a period of a few years.
The kindness of sisters and strangers is what kept us going thru this difficult time.

A friend asked me why I don't open a thread about it. I answered that a thread won't be enough. I could fill a book.

amother

Vanilla

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 9:43 pm

Time that I was literally walking around hungry we were in major crisis & nobody in the world knew... My sib called to ask me to if they can buy off an old item I had mentioned several times times that I was looking to get rid of in my house

When they came to get it from me and pay me for it they slipped in a extra few $100 in the envelope wrote on it "enjoy the gift guilt free" I am sure as day that they dumped the item in the nearby dump and it was done just to save me from some of my anguish in a dignified way

amother

Royalblue

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 10:17 pm

I was in Tzfas for shabbos with an infant. I decided to walk my husband to shul for maariv and kabolas shabbos. My baby started crying. I knocked on a random door and in my broken Hebrew asked if I could nurse my child. They were unbelievably nice and considerate

Just want to point out we take it so for granted that our Jewish sisters and brothers always look out for one another. But in most other cultures people wouldn’t even consider knocking on a strangers door!!!

amother

Olive

Mon, Jan 15 2024, 10:46 pm

I was with my son in the hospital for surgery during the height of COVID over shabbos. Now, this was emergency surgery, accident happened couple of hours before shabbos and we didn't actually realize at first how severe it was. So we were rushed in to the hospital just before the zman shabbos, without taking anything with us since we did not leave from home. (In the ambulance I'm calling my other kids at home to put away the shabbos food, unplug the crockpot, etc, and pack some clothes and go to some relatives, grandparents, aunts...) Once we got there they only allowed on parent in, so I stayed and my husband went home, making it home barely by shkia.

I was in the hospital with just the clothes on my back and nothing else. No food, no tichel/snood to change into, nada. Slept in my wig... Had to stay with my son, so Friday night we made do with whatever the nurses were able to bring us to eat, some packaged saltines and pudding with ou. Shabbos morning during his surgery I set off to find the bikkur cholim room to get some food to eat. What do you know, it's closed and under renovations due to COVID! (I mean closed due to COVID, so they took the opportunity to renovate.) So no food. I go sit in the lobby waiting area till his surgery is over. Some random frum woman walks up to me, making small talk, why are you here, why she is here... Just chatting to pass time. Then of course she asks where I'm staying, what I'm eating and when they heard I have nothing to eat since shabbos started they took me back to their apartment where they were staying to be close to a parent in the hospital, and had me join their seuda. It was the best challah and plain chicken bottom I have ever eaten in my life! They literally saved me from starving till motzei shabbos! And they actually didn't have loads of food, they were also at the hospital with a patient pretty last minute, not in their own home where ppl usually have plenty. They just shared whatever they had, and it was more than enough to fill me up, both physically and emotionally.

I have no idea who they are. We looked like the most different types of Jews you can get. Me being ultra chassidish, covered wig, they being non frum parents with just plain frum American kids (a wonder in itself, secular couple and all 4 of their kids are frum today!). But they made me feel so connected, like we are all family!! I wish I can go back and thank them now. Of course I thanked them at the time, but my appreciation has only grown over time, every time I think about them.

amother

Lawngreen ↓

Mon, Jan 15 2024, 11:00 pm

This is years ago, when my son was six or seven.

We were at the airport and our flight was delayed for hours, then canceled. Our kids had all fallen asleep over the hours of the delays as it was in middle of the night at that point. We picked them up and went to a hotel nearby.

In the morning we had only the leftover food in our bags. There were no kosher shops nearby or even an Aldi or something like that.

I took out the buns we had left and gave it to the kids. My son - all of 6 or 7 years- broke his in half and gave me one.
I was touched to the core. I don’t think I let him give it to me, but whenever he acts his age these days and appears selfish, it helps to remember this story