On Friday afternoon, Meir Shua was about to close the family grocery store, "Super HaTachana" on Ussishkin Street in Jerusalem. But then he discovered that the key had disappeared. He searched and searched, and simply couldn't find it. He checked with family members who run the store together with him, and the closest key was in Ashkelon. The sun was about to set, Shabbat was about to begin, and with a heavy heart Meir went home and left the grocery store open. Without a key, it's impossible to lower the large shutter at the entrance, so he essentially left the place with all the merchandise displayed openly.
Let's pause here for a moment. What do you think happened? Well, 24 hours passed, thousands of people of all types walked by on Ussishkin Street during Shabbat, and inside – there was a cash register with cash and countless products, including cigarettes and alcohol. Merchandise worth tens of thousands of shekels. After Shabbat ended, Meir returned to the place and was surprised. Pleasantly surprised.
"All the merchandise was in place," he told me. "Nothing was stolen. And moreover: caring neighbors who thought the place had been broken into placed a large garbage bin at the entrance to block the opening."
So what's his message? "There's nothing like the people of Israel, nothing like Shabbat, nothing like the Torah. After all, on the holiday of Shavuot we read: 'You shall not steal.' Not only are we not thieves, we are righteous. This story made waves throughout the entire neighborhood, everyone comes to hear it from me personally."
And now - you’re hearing this story too! Shabbat shalom!
