Purim Cinderella: The True Story of an Astounding Purim Miracle

Purim Cinderella: The True Story of an Astounding Purim Miracle

I heard this story from Sara herself, so I can testify that it’s 100% true! May we see many miracles this Purim as well! Enjoy!

Sara looked into her mirror and saw a flashing, neon sign on her forehead that read “Old Maid.”

In a week, Sara would be turning 25. Most of her highschool classmates were long married, and some had one or even two children already. How had talented, beautiful Sara gotten left behind in the race for the Chuppah, with no impending dates on her calendar, and no promising candidates on the horizon? Sara had no idea.

The loud voices of party-goers from the street below and the sound of Purim music made Sara feel even more depressed than usual about her bare ring finger. If she still wasn’t married, what did she possibly have to celebrate?

And then the doorbell rang. “Sara, what are you doing here all alone?” her friend demanded, “Cry over your MIA Prince Charming 364 nights a year, but not tonight! Put on a costume and let’s go celebrate!”

Along with her persistent friend, Sara felt a new energy entering her apartment from the Purim festivities outside. As Sara dressed up as Ruth the Moabite in a white robe, she suddenly felt transformed; she felt a new energy of hope, of redemption, of anything’s possible in the Purim air.

The pair’s first stop was the nearby home of a married friend. By the time Sara and her friend arrived, their friend’s husband was already very drunk, and when he saw Sara he told her, “Sara, you look like a bride tonight, and I just know that this year you are getting married! Sara, don’t forget! If you pray at midnight on Purim, G-d will grant you everything your heart desires, so don’t forget to pray that you will find your husband! Don’t forget midnight!”

Sara loved to pray, and as she and her friend headed for their next destination, Sara looked forward to that special moment when she could run out into the Purim night air like Cinderella at midnight from her royal ball, and she could pray to find her husband before all of the open gates of Heaven. Miracles were clearly in the air. Sara just knew it.

But things didn’t work out like Sara had planned.

Sara and her friend came to a women’s party at the home of several single women in Jerusalem’s Nachlaot neighborhood (CJW: This is now the Weisberg family home!). At first, Sara enjoyed the dancing, the singing, the free and festive atmosphere. But things started heading downhill when Sara’s friend had a nasty reaction to all the alcohol she had been drinking.

While taking care of her sick friend, Sara completely lost track of time, and by the time she looked at her watch, it was 3 AM. Sara was heartbroken. At that moment, she felt her royal gown turn back into rags, her royal coachmen back into mice, and her royal carriage back into a pumpkin.

Apparently, Sara feared, she would have to wait yet another year in order to find her husband.

But wasn’t all of Purim even holier than Yom Kippur, Sara reminded herself. Wasn’t this entire day an auspicious time for prayer? Sara ran out into the chilly night, and sat on a low wall along the sidewalk. Sara basked in the middle-of-the-night silence and the magical smile of the full moon. Now she could pray in peace, and she felt a strange certainty that G-d was about to redeem her from her waiting, that He was about to answer all her prayers.

Before she could begin praying, though, she saw three drunk men turn the corner. Sara’s heart fell. She hoped that they would walk by quickly so that she could finally get down to the business of finding a husband.

As the three men approached her, Sara overheard them speaking in English. One of them said to the others, “Bless me that I find my wife this year! I’ve got to find her this year!”

Another answered, “Why are you wasting your time talking to us? Here’s a nice young woman. Speak to her! Maybe she’s your soulmate? Maybe she’s your wife?”

Before Sara knew it, two of the men had continued on, and a drunk man she had never seen before was sitting next to her and looking into her face.

“You are my wife, you are my soulmate!” he told her.

Sara wasn’t impressed. She had just spent the past few hours caring for her drunk friend, and now yet another drunk party-goer had come along to ruin her Purim.

“Why did you get so drunk?” she attacked him. “Do you think you can find real happiness through drinking? It’s disgusting.”

Her new companion, whose name was Moshe, deflected her attack with humor, and for the next half an hour, Sara found her self in the midst of one of the nicest, deepest, and most pleasurable conversations of her life.

Sara hated the standard dating conversations, the formal, awkward “How many children are in your family?” “What are you studying?” “What are your plans for the future?” And that night, with this complete stranger, she found herself suddenly engaged in a conversation between two souls. Sara and Moshe skipped over the usual awkward introductions, and soared straight into a discussion about the most significant moments of their childhoods, the meaning of Purim, the meaning of happiness itself.

Sara felt so happy, and turned her thoughts Heavenward, “Thank you G-d for this conversation, for this tremendous Purim gift.”

But then Moshe’s friends returned to find him, and Sara’s friends came out to look for her. Sara ran back into the party, and Moshe lost track of his mystery companion in the sudden crowd that had appeared out of nowhere.

A nice conversation, Sara thought when back inside the party, but nothing serious. Sara knew what she wanted. She was looking for a real Sabra, a tough Israeli GI Joe type. And Moshe was a sweet, funny medical student whose Hebrew was tinged with a tell-tale American accent. Not her type. Not at all!

Anyway, she thought, Moshe was so drunk that he certainly wouldn’t remember anything that had happened that night, including their meeting and their conversation.

Sara didn’t even mention Moshe in her next day’s lengthy diary entry about the events of Purim.

4 days later, the day before Sara’s 25th birthday, Sara took a trip to the North. As she looked out the bus window and watched the Jordan Valley passing by, tears streamed down her face as she prayed with great intensity fueled by near-despair. “G-d, please, please, please, I’m turning 25 tomorrow. I so desperately want to be a wife, I so desperately want to be a mother, I so desperately want my life to finally start! Please send me my husband this birthday!”

The next day, on her depressing, dreaded 25th birthday, her cellphone rang and she noticed that it was a number she’d never seen before.

For a split-second she allowed a single ray of hope to enter her heart. Maybe it was a new guy calling to ask her out? Maybe this new guy would be her husband, and G-d was answering her prayers as a special Divine birthday present just for her?

But it turned out that it wasn’t some amazing, new guy.

It was just Moshe. Sara was stunned.

“How did you find out my name?” Sara asked.

“I don’t know” Moshe answered.

“How did you find out my phone number?” Sara asked.

“I don’t know,” Moshe answered.

“Did you know that today’s my birthday?”

“I didn’t know that,” Moshe answered. “The only thing I know is that I don’t remember a thing from Purim this year, but I will never forget our conversation. I’ve got to see you again.”

For a whole hour, Sara tried very hard to convince Moshe for a variety of reasons that they had absolutely no future together. And Moshe, in turn, tried just as hard to convince Sara that she had to give him at least one more chance.

But then Sara realized that she had been praying and praying that G-d would send her her husband on her 25th birthday, and now Moshe was calling her out of the blue.

Maybe it was a sign? Sara decided that, just this once, she should give in.

And seven wedding anniversaries and 4 children later, Sara is very, very happy that she did.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.com user Steven Depolo

7 comments

  1. an avid mom-reader

    As my husband was the drunk (fairy godfather) who convinced Moshe to speak to Sara, I wanted to write a quick yashar koach on your inspiring and supportive emails.
    May this Purim be a happy one for you and Am Yisrael.

  2. Elana Mizrahi

    Beautiful! Thank you!

  3. Thank you for sharing this amazing story.

  4. I am just smiling how Hashem loves us.

    Gavriella

  5. Reminds me a little of the sad joke about the man waiting for God to save him from a flood as he ignores the raft, boat and helicopter… Baruch Hashem Sara was willing to say yes to the helicopter 😉

    On another note, I think the story reveals one of the common problems that leaves so many women single. Sara was so focused on her dream GI-Joe Sabra Prince Charming that she almost blew off a man to whom she clearly had a good connection (even though he was drunk!). Her lack of flexibility and willingness to try something a little different almost lost her her true soul mate!

  6. loved the story! what a lesson for us! purim is such a holy day, lets not let the time just slip through our fingers! please daven for your family, friends, and klal yisrael that need a yeshua

  7. That was just so sweet!!

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