It was 5749, a special year. The Rebbe made a number of special announcements about this year: T’hei Shnas Moshiach Tovah, T’hei Shnas Maasim Tovim. The Rebbe also referred to this year as the Shnas HaYeled v’haYalda and Shnas Ha’Binyan
In order to encourage the Chassidim, the Rebbe said he would gave his token $100 participation for whoever would build.
Now, we will tell of two miracles that happened with those $100. Rabbi Kumer of Tzfas relates:
When we heard the Rebbe’s instruction, we happily obeyed. We bought the house next door, thus enabling us to enlarge our home. We reported to the Rebbe and received $100.
Then I went around Tzfas and when I saw buildings under construction, I went over to the owners and said, “Do you want $100 from the Rebbe as his participation in your construction?” Of course, they were happy to report to me their full names.
Then I went to hospitals and other places and encouraged many people to carry out the Rebbe’s instruction and build. I had a list of about twenty people who built, renovated or said they would do so, and I sent the list to the Rebbe.
About two or three weeks later, I received about twenty checks and gave them out according to my list.
Some time went by.
One morning, as I was teaching children the alef-beis in school, a bell rang. A woman had come to talk to me. I asked her what she wanted and she said disappointedly, “The Rebbe’s check bounced.”
A check “bouncing” means that the bank cannot pay the check, as the person giving the check doesn’t have enough money in his account to cover the check.
At first, I felt like the sky had fallen. Could a check from the Rebbe have bounced?!
On second thought, I thought, that’s impossible!
“Show me the check, please. I want to see it.”
The woman took out the check and handed it to me. On the check, the bank clerk had written, “It is not clear from which account to take out the money.”
I looked at the check and I could see that it was torn and taped. The tear was right through the Rebbe’s account number. Because of the rip and tape, one of the numbers was missing.
I examined the check in surprise and asked the woman, “What happened to this check?”
The lady said, “I put it in my pocket to take to the bank and deposit it. Suddenly, it began to rain. The rain wet the check and it tore.
“When I went to the bank and showed the torn check, the teller took it and taped it. Then she sent the check to the collection department department where the check is cashed.”
I said to the woman, “Fine, I don’t know what to do about it though.”
Interestingly, I did not say to her, let’s send it back to the Rebbe. I suppose it was obvious to me that we couldn’t do that.
The assistant heard the conversation between me and the lady and when she left, the assistant said to me, “Do you know that woman’s story?”
“No,” I answered.
“She is my neighbor and I know her. She may have wanted to do renovations but, in the end, she did no construction or renovation. She just wanted the $100 from the Rebbe …”
The amazing thing is that I received twenty checks and this was the only check that got rained on and ripped through one of the numbers of the bank account, so that she could not receive the money that she did not deserve.
“Money from the Rebbe is holy money,” said Rabbi Kumer. “Whoever is supposed to get it, gets it, and whoever is not supposed to get it, doesn’t get it.”
Another story is told by Rabbi Zalman Garelik:
Following the Rebbe’s instruction to build houses and neighborhoods or add rooms to existing houses, my friend said, let’s build a Chabad shul in Beer Sheva.
I liked his idea and we asked the Rebbe for a bracha. The Rebbe sent a check for $100 as his participation, but for some reason, it did not reach us.
Things did not go as easily as we had thought they would. In order to build a shul, you need building permits and getting them is hard work. You first need a permit for the land and then permits for building, etc.
We started the process and when we finally got to the last permit, the door was closed in our faces. “We cannot allow this construction. The property is too close to a gas station.”
Many years passed and the bomb shelter, where the shul was located, became too small for all of us. Not only that, but this shelter was also used for farbrengens, a kollel, lecture rooms and other activities. We couldn’t go on like this; we had to grow.
In 5760, after many years of effort, we got all the permits to build a Chabad center in Beer Sheva. The cornerstone was laid amidst great festivity.
Then we got down to work fundraising. One day, I called R’ Yisrael Rosenberg of Nachalat Har Chabad. I told him that we finally got the permits and now we were raising money. I asked him for a donation.
R’ Rosenberg said he would get back to me on motzoei Shabbos.
Shabbos was over and R’ Rosenberg lost a very important document that he had to find quickly. He turned over his house as he looked for it.
He came across a closed envelope. He opened it and before his astonished eyes he saw a check for $100 from the Rebbe!
It all came back to him, in an instant. This was the check that the Rebbe sent for the shul in Beer Sheva! Of course, he called me very excitedly and told me about the check that had waited eleven years until the building got underway.
People were very excited to hear the story of the check and it helped a lot in the fundraising. The Chabad House started a fundraising campaign and for those who made significant donations there was a raffle for the check.
On Pesach 5771, the chanukas ha’bayis for the new, three-story building took place. Since then, it has been preparing the entire city to welcome the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach. ■