I.
One day, in one of the chariedi neighborhoods, the bus
came
very late and the impatient driver just told passengers to
get on
without paying. This was not unusual; they would pay when
they got
off and the bus was emptier.
People pushed on and when the bus could hold no more, the
driver closed
the doors. One little boy stood by the driver, holding out
his bus
ticket, waiting for it to be punched. Impatiently, the driver
told
him to move along into the bus, but he stood his ground
determinedly
while the other passengers pushed past him, jostling him to
and fro.
The driver raised his voice and repeated his demand that the
boy move
on, whereupon he started crying. A little too old to cry, the
driver
must have thought, because he changed his tune and, in a
gentler tone,
asked what was the matter.
"I can't move until you punch my ticket. It's ossur.
Traveling
without paying is geneiva!" And the tears rolled down
his
cheeks.
The driver complied and murmured something like, "What I
wouldn't
give for a chareidi kid of my own, like this
one..."
II.
A visitor from England who was staying in Bnei Brak came to
Yerusholayim
for the day. it was a Friday and she wanted to go to Har
Hamenuchos
to visit her grandmother's grave, but first on her itinerary
was the
Kosel, of course.
When she was ready to leave, she realized that time was
running out.
If she wanted to go to the cemetery, she would have to take a
taxi.
Like most other tourists, she didn't realize that it is
prudent to
make sure the driver puts on the meter before beginning the
journey,
rather than having to settle for whatever flat fee he decides
suits
his passenger's pocket -- at the end of the trip. Standard
procedure.
But she blithely rode along, and upon reaching her
destination, asked
him to wait while she visited the grave, so that he could
take her
to her connection for the return trip to Bnei Brak.
He could have charged the unkowning tourist any exorbitant
fee, but
when she got back into the car, he thanked her profusely,
instead.
He had meant to visit his mother's grave, he explained, but
had pushed
it off time and again.
He refused any payment for the trip because she had given him
the
opportunity of doing this mitzva!
