A Collector’s Story

Another thing you should know about me is that I’m very intuitive. I just seem to “get” people and situations quickly, what people really mean and what responses are needed. I would have thought that was a regular thing, that everyone has it, but a while ago I realized that not everyone is blessed with this awareness. In fact, sometimes you see people respond to a situation without sensitivity and you wonder how on earth they could be so callous… while the truth is, they honestly did not see the situation for what it was.

I thought of that recently after I went through a certain situation with a girl in the neighborhood who I’ll call Shana. We’re not classmates, she’s in a different grade, but we just know each other from “around.”

About five years ago, our school decided to raise money for an organization, let’s say it was Chai Lifeline (it wasn’t, but I’m changing details so my story won’t be identifiable). There were also added incentives: the class that raised the most money would get a prize, and the kid that raised the most would get another prize. Well, everyone worked feverishly… except for me. I’m kind of blushing as I say this, but I was in Israel for a week, and by the time I got back, the contest was almost over, so I didn’t raise anything that first year.

But Shana saw me walking home one day after school, waited till my friends were out of earshot, and said, “Hey, can you ask your father for a check?” I saw that Shana wanted to win the prize, and didn’t want to give my own classmates the idea of asking me, and honestly, I didn’t mind. At the end of the day, all the money was going to tzedakah anyway. I ran into my house, asked my father for a check, and he wrote one out for $100 on the spot. Shana was really pleased and grateful.