Our story took place shortly before Pesach 5770/2010. The Cohens longed to travel to the Rebbe for Pesach after not having been to 770 in a long time.
Before deciding they wrote to the Rebbe. In their letter they asked the Rebbe for a bracha for the trip and they put the paper between the pages of a volume of Igros Kodesh. The Rebbe’s letter on that page said that the Rebbe approved of a trip under three conditions: One, that the school they worked in would not be hurt by their absence; two, that they did not go into debt to make the trip; three, that they did not travel by ship because ships took a long time.
“Amazing!” exulted Chana. “I work in a school and I have to find a good substitute for the time I will be absent so the girls’ education won’t be harmed by my leaving.”
“As for the second condition, not to go into debt, that is also understandable,” said Dovid, her husband, excitedly. “Boruch Hashem, we have the money. So we’ve gotten the Rebbe’s blessing and we can move forward and buy tickets.”
“One minute,” Chana said. “I don’t understand what the Rebbe means by the third condition. Who goes by ship nowadays? Today, everyone flies!”
Dovid was silent.
Chana went on. “I feel that the Rebbe is telling us something. I believe we will get to understand this part too in due time.”
“In any case,” concluded Dovid, “we have a bracha from the Rebbe and we can start getting ready.”
The next day Dovid ordered tickets. The only tickets that made sense for them included a stopover in Paris for twelve hours on the way home. Chana had a feeling that the Rebbe was not pleased by the long stopover for he had said not to travel by ship because it made the trip longer. In other words, the trip was supposed to be as short as possible. Unfortunately though, there was no way they could change the tickets.
Time passed slowly. The Cohens counted the days until they could fly to Beis Chayeinu and they prepared for the trip with great joy.
The day of their scheduled departure arrived and the plane zoomed down the runway and took off. The earth below became tiny and distant. Little by little, trees, houses and people disappeared and out the window of the plane they could only see blue skies and fluffy white clouds.
The two of them took the opportunity to do mivtzaim. When they landed, of course their first stop was 770.
We will skip a description of their special visit and continue with their return trip home. As mentioned, the flight home included a twelve hour stopover in Paris.
Upon arriving in Paris, to their surprise, they heard their names called over the loudspeaker. They went over to a clerk who told them to take their luggage and keep it with them during the stopover.
“Why can’t you send the suitcases with the next plane? That is what always happens. What changed this time?” wondered Dovid, but his words fell on deaf ears.
Chana tried to use her best powers of persuasion. “We are stuck here for twelve hours. Taking our luggage means we have to stay here, at the airport, all this time. Please do us a favor and watch our luggage!”
The clerk, without even looking at them, dealt with the next person in line.
Having no choice, the Cohens sat down in the terminal with their suitcases next to them. They took out sandwiches and fruit that they had brought along and began eating.
All of a sudden, a passenger who had heard their story came over to them and said, “An El-Al flight is leaving shortly. Try your luck and put down your names for standby (a system in which, if there is room on the plane, people can board).
“I got it!” exclaimed Chana as she sprang from her seat. “The Rebbe does not want the trip to take a long time and so he is making it shorter for us. I bet we will be able to get on this flight.”
The two of them immediately went over to try and arrange it. But it wasn’t so simple.
“The flight is full. It does not look as though there will be any room. Aside from that, the plane is leaving shortly and the process of changing your tickets is complicated. Nothing has been arranged and we won’t be able to arrange it in such a short time,” said the clerks.
But the Cohens persisted. They began explaining about the Rebbe, about the Igros Kodesh, and the answer they had gotten. “The Rebbe wants us on this flight. We have to get on this plane!”
Then the miracle occurred. At the very last moment they were called to board the flight. They had just gotten on the plane when the doors were closed and the plane took off.
Chana and Dovid were thrilled. They thanked the Rebbe with all their heart for arranging things in such a wonderful way so they could do as he said.
It was only when they landed in Eretz Yisroel that they realized how great the miracle was. The next flight never left. A volcano had erupted in Europe and black smoke covered the skies. There were no flights for over a week! All the passengers who were supposed to be on their original flight had to find a place to stay until they could leave.
That is when the Cohens understood what the Rebbe meant. Aside from the aggravation, if they had been forced to stay in Europe for a week, then the first condition in the letter (to ensure the school would not be affected) would not have been fulfilled because Chana would have lost many more days of school.