The Dentist and the Reservist
My daughter just told me this incredible story she heard from a friend who’s spent much of the past year fighting in Gaza. Here’s what he told her:
“A few weeks ago, for the first time in weeks, I got to spend a weekend at home with my family, from Thursday until Sunday morning. Unfortunately, on Friday evening my tooth started to ache.
“After Shabbat, there was no way to reach the regular public clinic I usually go to. So I contacted a private dentist someone recommended. I told the dentist about my predicament, that I had to leave early Sunday morning to get back to my base.
“This dentist offered to open up his office early Sunday morning to see me, and it turned out I needed a crown, which he made me for on the spot. Uh oh, I thought. This is going to cost a fortune. But I didn’t have any choice. I felt lucky that I’d found a dentist at all.
“By the time the dentist was done, the rest of the office staff had arrived, and I went to the secretary to pay my bill.
“I asked her how much it costs to get a crown, and without looking up she said: 3000 NIS. So I reached for my wallet with a heavy heart. And then she asked my name and which dentist I’d seen, and when she looked me up on the computer, she saw the dentist had written: “Reservist: No Charge.”
