It was a freezing cold night with near-blizzard conditions in upstate New York.
A man was driving through the snow until he came to a point where he knew he could not safely go any further. He pulled his car over and looked for a place where he could find shelter.
He saw a nursing home across the street and entered. He spoke to the manager and explained his situation.
“I’m sorry, the manager told the man, we are not a hotel, and I can’t allow you to stay here for the night.”
The man begged her to help. He offered her money. He said he would sleep anywhere, just for a few hours for the snow to let up.
The manager relented and offered him the couch in her office at no charge.
The man was very grateful. He thanked the manager and settled in on the couch, shut his eyes, and promptly fell asleep.
When he woke early the next morning, he saw the roads plowed, and he could now be on his way.
The manager came into the office and sat down in her chair with a weary look on her face. It was clear she did not sleep at all that night.
“Are you okay?” The man asked the manager.
“It was a very rough night.” the manager replied.
“One of our residents passed away, and there is no family or friends to reach out to. This lovely woman lived a long life, and she ran out of funds to pay for the proper Jewish burial she requested. I don’t know what to do. I wouldn’t even know how to arrange a Jewish funeral.”
The man told the manager, “I’m Jewish. I’ve been praying for a way to repay this kindness I have received from you. This is clearly God’s plan. I will make all the arrangements and take care of everything.”
Instead of getting back on the road as planned. The man began to make the arrangements. He first contacted the Hebrew Burial Society. They gave him the information he needed to arrange for her transport and burial in the nearby cemetery.
In the meantime, the man sat by the deceased woman’s bedside and recited psalms over her body. The soul, he knew, hovered nearby.
Within the hour, her body was taken to be readied for her final internment. The man and his family attended the graveside funeral service and burial the very next day. He and his wife, their two sons, and daughter scooped up the dirt and filled her grave, as is the Jewish custom. The prayers were said, and she was laid to rest with her last wishes fulfilled.
A week later, the man received a call from the person he first spoke to at the Hebrew Burial Society.
“You’re not going to believe this,” he said. “The woman you cared for at her greatest hour of need was righteous and very generous. I looked up her name in our records and saw that she once donated to our organization to help provide burials for people in need who can’t afford it. And now, thirty-plus years, she is the recipient of the acts of kindness she bestowed on others.”
“I thank God for giving me the chance to pay her good deed forward. May the chain continue.”
“Amen.”
This is a true story.