The Student my Husband Didn’t Want to Meet
Last Friday my husband, Joshua, returned from a 2- week trip to North America where he taught at several synagogues and visited family.
Over Shabbat Josh told me the following remarkable story:
“A friend of mine who is also a teacher sent me a message when I first arrived in the US asking if I would meet with a former (and super special) student of his who is coming to Israel in August to learn. All the yeshivot are closed in August, so this student was hoping to set up learning sessions with various rabbis. And my friend thought I would be a perfect match for him.
I sent back a quick whatsapp saying that I am busy and didn’t think I’d be able to meet with his student.
The next day I travelled to California to the Conservative shul where I would be teaching over Shavuot.
At the kiddush on Shavuot morning, a college student came to talk with me about the classes I’d taught. I was super impressed with how bright and curious and thoughtful he was. He said that he had attended that shul growing up, and had recently spent time at a yeshiva in Israel, and he was hoping to return to Israel in August to learn more Torah. And, by the way, he asked, did I know his teacher, the colleague who had just whatsapped me in New York?
What are the chances? Of all the American Jews I would meet at a Conservative shul in California, it would be my friend’s student who I was insisting I was too busy to even meet in the first place.
GREAT!