Brooklyn, NY - Manhattan-based B&H Photo will undergo a $50 million expansion at the Brooklyn Navy Yard - the biggest single project at the industrial park since WWII, when the shipping yard was at its most active.
The photography and electronics emporium, which has operated in the Navy Yard for more than a decade, plans to build a 400,000-square-foot building for storage and distribution, said officials, who heralded the 300 new jobs the project is expected to create.
vosizneias.com
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
They Walk Among Us
I walked into a Burger King with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a sandwich. I handed it to the girl and she looked over at a little chalkboard that said "buy one-get one free." "They're already buy- one-get-one-free", she said, "so I guess they're both free." She handed me my free sandwiches and I walked out the door.
They walk among us and many work retail.
===================
One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when one of them shouted, "Look at that dead bird!" One female (yes.. blond) looked up at the sky and said, "Where?"
They Walk among us!
====================
While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, "Does the sunrise in the north?" When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, "Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff."
They Walk Among Us!!
====================
I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center. One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him, "The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?" Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, "Uh, Pacific."
They Walk Among Us!
====================
My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk.
They Walk Among Us!
====================
My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.
They Walk Among Us!
====================
I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area, so I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "has your plane arrived yet?"
They Walk Among Us!
====================
While at a Pizza Hut I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding. "Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces."
Yep, They Walk Among Us!
===================
AND... they reproduce!
They walk among us and many work retail.
===================
One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when one of them shouted, "Look at that dead bird!" One female (yes.. blond) looked up at the sky and said, "Where?"
They Walk among us!
====================
While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, "Does the sunrise in the north?" When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, "Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff."
They Walk Among Us!!
====================
I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center. One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him, "The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?" Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, "Uh, Pacific."
They Walk Among Us!
====================
My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk.
They Walk Among Us!
====================
My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.
They Walk Among Us!
====================
I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area, so I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "has your plane arrived yet?"
They Walk Among Us!
====================
While at a Pizza Hut I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding. "Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces."
Yep, They Walk Among Us!
===================
AND... they reproduce!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Have you ever wondered why?
Can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to "put your two cents in".. but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.
Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane ?
If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
6 Dangerous Reasons People Do Not Set Goals and Never Succeed
Goal setting is the framework for personal achievement. It is the backbone of becoming a person you desire to be. Setting and achieving personal goals will guarantee you success. Most people who do set goals have little to no understanding of goal setting and as a result fail to achieve them and never succeed. You would think that if goal setting was the ultimate skill and secret to success that everyone would develop their own personal goals and learn to achieve them. Unfortunately, the world is not that perfect. There are six dangerous reasons people do not set and achieve their goals which act like a road block to their success.
There are several reasons why people do not set goals similarly to why people do not care about communicating effectively. I know with absolute certainty that everyone will experience a more successful and far enjoyable life if they learned to communicate effectively. Arguably the greatest modern day personal development Coach, Anthony Robbins said, "The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives." Effective communication determines the quality of your life with others while self development determines the quality of your inner life.
The first reason I believe why people do not set goals is they do not see its importance. Like people who do not develop their communication and other aspects of themselves, they do not see the importance of setting goals. I have met people who are unbelievably resistant to developing their communication. They have actually found it insulting to think they need to improve how they communicate! Every single person on the face of this Earth can always communicate more effectively and have their life improve as a result. Likewise, with goals there are people who do not see the importance of setting personal goals. Goal setting forms the foundations for personal achievement and it is of the utmost importance.
The second reason why people do not set goals is a fear of others caused from criticism. People criticize because they see faults in others or are brainwashed by society and other beliefs into thinking greatness cannot be achieved. They criticize to hold people back from achieving goals. Average people do not want others to go beyond average. A person can fear setting goals because each time they have set goals in the past, others have criticized and shot down their dreams. Others impose their own self-limiting beliefs through criticism instilling fear within the person. Think of receiving criticism as a poisonous needle injected into your body. It slowly controls and destroys what you want. The destructive thought of fear controls the person from achieving anything remarkable. Put bluntly, screw what people think. Screw allowing people to destroy your life with their beliefs. Society is filled with endless garbage to prevent you from achieving your goals. If you want something, go and get it by setting and achieving personal goals.
The third reason why people do not set goals is a fear of failure. They can think success is derived from not failing. The opposite is true. Success comes from failing a lot and failing fast. Famous inventor Thomas Edison said, "I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Being an inventor, Thomas understand failure was apart of success. Failure was the nuts and bolts that constructed his success. Understand that failure occurs and it shows you are taking action. Learn from failure and enjoy knowing you are moving towards your goals instead of fearing to set out after them in the first place.
The fourth reason why people do not set goals is a fear success. People who fear success believe it is bad. The fear is common in wealth and wanting an attractive partner because negative results will occur. They believe wealth is evil or a certain type of partner is unfaithful. The fear prevents them achieving what they want by not laying the foundations of their desire with goal setting.
The fifth reason why people do not set goals is they do not know how. This reason relates to fear of failure where the person has set goals in the past, but has not achieved them and becomes discouraged from the failure. These people become disheartened from the failure and think failure is imminent. They do not learn from past mistakes and move towards personal growth. The classic example of this is losing weight as a new year's resolution. A mere temporary motivation inspires the person who is lucky to lose weight in January but no further progression towards achieving the goal occurs in later months. If you do not set and start working towards a goal now, what makes you think you will be able to achieve it as a new year's resolution? There are techniques such as SMART goal setting which I have written about but are not covered in this article. Using SMART goals enables you to set and achieve goals then merely wishing a result based on temporary motivation too common around the new years period.
The sixth reason why people do not set goals is they lack the inner desire to want something greater then what they currently have. For them, the ordinary or even sub-ordinary is sufficient. These people do not believe they can reach or deserve success because society has conditioned them into thinking they are ordinary people and therefore must do ordinary things. It can also be caused by failure, criticism, and other reasons as to why people do not set goals.
Did you find yourself relating to one of these six dangerous reasons people do not set goals and as a result never succeed? Do not fret too much because you are now more self-aware and able to doing something about. All that is required for you to do is learn how to set achievable goals. I personally advise people to follow the SMART goal setting technique because its congruency with successful goal setting is spot on. You set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and tangible goals leading to your success. Master this skill and you will have the most powerful personal development technique in your grasp to achieve success.
Source: SelfGrowth.com
There are several reasons why people do not set goals similarly to why people do not care about communicating effectively. I know with absolute certainty that everyone will experience a more successful and far enjoyable life if they learned to communicate effectively. Arguably the greatest modern day personal development Coach, Anthony Robbins said, "The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives." Effective communication determines the quality of your life with others while self development determines the quality of your inner life.
The first reason I believe why people do not set goals is they do not see its importance. Like people who do not develop their communication and other aspects of themselves, they do not see the importance of setting goals. I have met people who are unbelievably resistant to developing their communication. They have actually found it insulting to think they need to improve how they communicate! Every single person on the face of this Earth can always communicate more effectively and have their life improve as a result. Likewise, with goals there are people who do not see the importance of setting personal goals. Goal setting forms the foundations for personal achievement and it is of the utmost importance.
The second reason why people do not set goals is a fear of others caused from criticism. People criticize because they see faults in others or are brainwashed by society and other beliefs into thinking greatness cannot be achieved. They criticize to hold people back from achieving goals. Average people do not want others to go beyond average. A person can fear setting goals because each time they have set goals in the past, others have criticized and shot down their dreams. Others impose their own self-limiting beliefs through criticism instilling fear within the person. Think of receiving criticism as a poisonous needle injected into your body. It slowly controls and destroys what you want. The destructive thought of fear controls the person from achieving anything remarkable. Put bluntly, screw what people think. Screw allowing people to destroy your life with their beliefs. Society is filled with endless garbage to prevent you from achieving your goals. If you want something, go and get it by setting and achieving personal goals.
The third reason why people do not set goals is a fear of failure. They can think success is derived from not failing. The opposite is true. Success comes from failing a lot and failing fast. Famous inventor Thomas Edison said, "I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Being an inventor, Thomas understand failure was apart of success. Failure was the nuts and bolts that constructed his success. Understand that failure occurs and it shows you are taking action. Learn from failure and enjoy knowing you are moving towards your goals instead of fearing to set out after them in the first place.
The fourth reason why people do not set goals is a fear success. People who fear success believe it is bad. The fear is common in wealth and wanting an attractive partner because negative results will occur. They believe wealth is evil or a certain type of partner is unfaithful. The fear prevents them achieving what they want by not laying the foundations of their desire with goal setting.
The fifth reason why people do not set goals is they do not know how. This reason relates to fear of failure where the person has set goals in the past, but has not achieved them and becomes discouraged from the failure. These people become disheartened from the failure and think failure is imminent. They do not learn from past mistakes and move towards personal growth. The classic example of this is losing weight as a new year's resolution. A mere temporary motivation inspires the person who is lucky to lose weight in January but no further progression towards achieving the goal occurs in later months. If you do not set and start working towards a goal now, what makes you think you will be able to achieve it as a new year's resolution? There are techniques such as SMART goal setting which I have written about but are not covered in this article. Using SMART goals enables you to set and achieve goals then merely wishing a result based on temporary motivation too common around the new years period.
The sixth reason why people do not set goals is they lack the inner desire to want something greater then what they currently have. For them, the ordinary or even sub-ordinary is sufficient. These people do not believe they can reach or deserve success because society has conditioned them into thinking they are ordinary people and therefore must do ordinary things. It can also be caused by failure, criticism, and other reasons as to why people do not set goals.
Did you find yourself relating to one of these six dangerous reasons people do not set goals and as a result never succeed? Do not fret too much because you are now more self-aware and able to doing something about. All that is required for you to do is learn how to set achievable goals. I personally advise people to follow the SMART goal setting technique because its congruency with successful goal setting is spot on. You set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and tangible goals leading to your success. Master this skill and you will have the most powerful personal development technique in your grasp to achieve success.
Source: SelfGrowth.com
Thursday, April 19, 2007
5 tips for eBay selling
Want to be successful selling on eBay? These 5 tips for eBay selling are a good starting point for your eBay business.
1) Understand your eBay selling costs of doing business
eBay selling is not as simple as some people make it out to be. Your are running a complicated business, so treat it that way. Learn about your eBay selling fees, PayPal fees, shipping and handling costs, labor costs and your cost of packaging materials.
2) Understand the risk factor with eBay selling
eBay selling does not come without its risks. Like any business, you have marketing expenses that may or may not translate to sales and dollars in your pocket. With eBay selling, your eBay selling fees should be treated as your marketing budget. You will have to make choices regarding which listing upgrades and eBay selling formats to list your items with, and monitor their progress to see the impact on your profits. Some items are meant for an auction or fixed price eBay selling format, and others will be more effective as a Store Inventory Format eBay listing. Study up on this and become a pro on your risks and costs of doing business before you start selling on eBay or try to ramp up your eBay sales!
3) Don't fall into the "what to sell on eBay" trap
Many up-and-coming eBay sellers scour the internet and attend seminars to find that "magic source" of the best products on earth to sell on eBay! If there was a magic source, no one would tell you what it is, no matter how much money you pay them for their advice. Truth is, you will need to work with distributors on an individual basis who source products straight from the manufacturer, and then sell to the retailer (you). The other option is to create your own "custom" products. Either way, the "hot sources" of products that are advertised out there for a fee aren't very good. Think about it... if thousands of people are paying for access to the same products and all competing with each other, how would anyone make any money?
4) Research, Research, Research!
Before you sell a single item on eBay, make sure you have researched the market first. There are tools out there to help you with this, but the simple tool (that I use) is free and right on eBay. Do a search for any item, then on click on "completed listings" to see what has sold and what hasn't in the last two weeks on eBay. Sort this list by "highest first" on price, which will organize the information for you so you have a strong idea of what sells well before you begin your eBay selling journey.
5) Determine your eBay selling price
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, your eBay selling price is very important, and not just for your buyers. The price you set your eBay listing at will impact your eBay selling fees, PayPal fees and will obviously matter to the eBay buyers out there.
There is so much more to learn about selling on eBay, this is just the beginning...
StartupNation
1) Understand your eBay selling costs of doing business
eBay selling is not as simple as some people make it out to be. Your are running a complicated business, so treat it that way. Learn about your eBay selling fees, PayPal fees, shipping and handling costs, labor costs and your cost of packaging materials.
2) Understand the risk factor with eBay selling
eBay selling does not come without its risks. Like any business, you have marketing expenses that may or may not translate to sales and dollars in your pocket. With eBay selling, your eBay selling fees should be treated as your marketing budget. You will have to make choices regarding which listing upgrades and eBay selling formats to list your items with, and monitor their progress to see the impact on your profits. Some items are meant for an auction or fixed price eBay selling format, and others will be more effective as a Store Inventory Format eBay listing. Study up on this and become a pro on your risks and costs of doing business before you start selling on eBay or try to ramp up your eBay sales!
3) Don't fall into the "what to sell on eBay" trap
Many up-and-coming eBay sellers scour the internet and attend seminars to find that "magic source" of the best products on earth to sell on eBay! If there was a magic source, no one would tell you what it is, no matter how much money you pay them for their advice. Truth is, you will need to work with distributors on an individual basis who source products straight from the manufacturer, and then sell to the retailer (you). The other option is to create your own "custom" products. Either way, the "hot sources" of products that are advertised out there for a fee aren't very good. Think about it... if thousands of people are paying for access to the same products and all competing with each other, how would anyone make any money?
4) Research, Research, Research!
Before you sell a single item on eBay, make sure you have researched the market first. There are tools out there to help you with this, but the simple tool (that I use) is free and right on eBay. Do a search for any item, then on click on "completed listings" to see what has sold and what hasn't in the last two weeks on eBay. Sort this list by "highest first" on price, which will organize the information for you so you have a strong idea of what sells well before you begin your eBay selling journey.
5) Determine your eBay selling price
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, your eBay selling price is very important, and not just for your buyers. The price you set your eBay listing at will impact your eBay selling fees, PayPal fees and will obviously matter to the eBay buyers out there.
There is so much more to learn about selling on eBay, this is just the beginning...
StartupNation
Friday, March 30, 2007
Good Shabbos Everyone: Parshas Tzav 5767
Good Shabbos Everyone. This week's parsha begins with the word Tzav. Rashi explains that "Tzav" indicates "zerizus" - alacrity. Alacrity - moving quickly - is an important aspect of serving Hashem. Because, one who does mitzvahs with an eagerness, will be able to do more mitzvahs and do the mitzvahs more completely. The following story illustrates one Jew's eagerness to help others.
Eli was a bit concerned about the way his car sounded as they drove out of Brooklyn Friday early noon-time. But the car was driving all right, so he put it out of his mind. Unfortunately, just as they exited the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel-right in front of the World Trade Center, (which still stood at the time) -Eli's car suddenly quit in the middle of the intersection. Car horns blared as drivers detoured around them. Eli and his passengers managed to push the car to the side. Then he pulled out his cell phone and called the AAA.
How long will it take for a tow truck to get here?" he asked the operator. "It will be two hours, sir." Two hours! Eli and his friends looked at each other in dismay. It was already after one o'clock. It was a three hour trip up to Thent, a small town in up-state New York, where the group was driving to a Shabbaton.
Shabbos was at 6:09. One did not have to be a mathematical genius to realize that there wouldn't be enough time to make it to Thent in time for Shabbos. "Maybe we should go home," one of the passengers suggested. But then they wouldn't have a minyan up in Thent. Many of the other invitees had already left for the farm where the Shabbaton would be held, and they were counting on them for a minyan. "And all the food's in the car!" Eli suddenly remembered as he looked at the food that he was bringing up for the Shabbaton. "We have to get it up there somehow."
"Maybe we can get a car service to take us," another one of the guys if suggested. "Good idea," Eli agreed. "I'll take care of my car. You go ahead with the food." It was a good idea. There was just one small problem: no car service was willing to come on a Friday afternoon to take them on a three-hour trip to Thent.
Once again, they were staring at each other in dismay, when a brand new Lexus came to a halt right near them. The driver stepped outside and walked over to where they were standing. "Let me take a look at your car," he offered. "Maybe I can find the problem." They watched hopefully as he marched over to the car and lifted the hood. "It's gone," he proclaimed, after studying the engine for a few minutes. "This car is going nowhere." He walked back to the Lexus and said something to the passenger inside.
Then the passenger door opened and a religious Jew stepped out. "My driver says your car is finished." His gaze took in their Shabbos attire. "Where were you trying to go? Maybe I can give you a lift or help out in some way." Eli explained about the trip to Thent.
"We can't turn around and go home, because the food is in the car and they're counting on us for a minyan. We have to get there somehow."
"No problem." the man said instantly. "Here, take the keys to my car drive up there and have a good Shabbos. There's a built-in computer navigator so you won't get lost." The driver looked at his employer with astonishment. "Are you crazy? How can you give them the car? You just drove it off the dealer's lot! It's brand new!" Said the driver. The religious man shrugged. "What's the big deal? It's just a piece of plastic that happened to cost $60 000."
Eli and his friends could not believe it. They didn't even know the man's name and he was willing to lend them his brand-new, expensive car! But they weren't going to turn the offer down. Immediately they transferred the food and seforim (Jewish books) over to the Lexus then settled down inside. Eli held the keys out to one of the other passengers. "Here you'll have to drive. I need to stay here to get my car towed."
"Don't worry about that," their benefactor spoke up. "I'll take care of the towing and I'll find my way home. Just go and have a good Shabbos." As Eli drove off he realized that he hadn't even asked the man his name! Even with the new car their problems weren't over. Traffic was very heavy and more than once they seriously considered turning back. But the thought of how the rest of the group was counting on them made them continue on. They could always spend Shabbos in a motel if it came to that. But they had to try their best.
Traffic finally eased up at around 4:30 in the afternoon. Just then Eli's cell phone rang. "This is AAA. We're in front of the World Trade Center but your car isn't here. Did you tow it already?" Eli realized that the man had the car towed-at his own expense.
At 5:45, with 24 minutes left until Shabbos the Lexus pulled into the Pamoner farm in Thent. The rest of the group, relieved by Eli's arrival, were impressed by the way they had traveled in style. Shabbos was beautiful and inspiring.
After Shabbos, Eli drove back to the city, tracked down the owner of the car - Mr. Isaac Lefkowitz - and brought his Lexus back to him. "We don't know how to thank you," Eli exclaimed. "You really saved our Shabbos."
"There's even more to the story," Mr. Lefkowitz told him. "I have a very successful business, but for years I've been bothered by the way I arrive home late on Friday afternoon, with hardly any time to prepare for Shabbos. This past Rosh Hashanah, I made a resolution that I would close up earlier on Fridays." He paused, then looked at Eli. "This Shabbos was the first week I left early. And there you were, waiting outside with your car." (From Visions of Greatness Reb Yosef Weiss, Vol. 6, p.89)
We should always jump at the opportunity to do a favor for a fellow Jew. The more desperate someone is for our help, the greater the mitzvah is to help him without delay.
Good Shabbos Everyone
Eli was a bit concerned about the way his car sounded as they drove out of Brooklyn Friday early noon-time. But the car was driving all right, so he put it out of his mind. Unfortunately, just as they exited the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel-right in front of the World Trade Center, (which still stood at the time) -Eli's car suddenly quit in the middle of the intersection. Car horns blared as drivers detoured around them. Eli and his passengers managed to push the car to the side. Then he pulled out his cell phone and called the AAA.
How long will it take for a tow truck to get here?" he asked the operator. "It will be two hours, sir." Two hours! Eli and his friends looked at each other in dismay. It was already after one o'clock. It was a three hour trip up to Thent, a small town in up-state New York, where the group was driving to a Shabbaton.
Shabbos was at 6:09. One did not have to be a mathematical genius to realize that there wouldn't be enough time to make it to Thent in time for Shabbos. "Maybe we should go home," one of the passengers suggested. But then they wouldn't have a minyan up in Thent. Many of the other invitees had already left for the farm where the Shabbaton would be held, and they were counting on them for a minyan. "And all the food's in the car!" Eli suddenly remembered as he looked at the food that he was bringing up for the Shabbaton. "We have to get it up there somehow."
"Maybe we can get a car service to take us," another one of the guys if suggested. "Good idea," Eli agreed. "I'll take care of my car. You go ahead with the food." It was a good idea. There was just one small problem: no car service was willing to come on a Friday afternoon to take them on a three-hour trip to Thent.
Once again, they were staring at each other in dismay, when a brand new Lexus came to a halt right near them. The driver stepped outside and walked over to where they were standing. "Let me take a look at your car," he offered. "Maybe I can find the problem." They watched hopefully as he marched over to the car and lifted the hood. "It's gone," he proclaimed, after studying the engine for a few minutes. "This car is going nowhere." He walked back to the Lexus and said something to the passenger inside.
Then the passenger door opened and a religious Jew stepped out. "My driver says your car is finished." His gaze took in their Shabbos attire. "Where were you trying to go? Maybe I can give you a lift or help out in some way." Eli explained about the trip to Thent.
"We can't turn around and go home, because the food is in the car and they're counting on us for a minyan. We have to get there somehow."
"No problem." the man said instantly. "Here, take the keys to my car drive up there and have a good Shabbos. There's a built-in computer navigator so you won't get lost." The driver looked at his employer with astonishment. "Are you crazy? How can you give them the car? You just drove it off the dealer's lot! It's brand new!" Said the driver. The religious man shrugged. "What's the big deal? It's just a piece of plastic that happened to cost $60 000."
Eli and his friends could not believe it. They didn't even know the man's name and he was willing to lend them his brand-new, expensive car! But they weren't going to turn the offer down. Immediately they transferred the food and seforim (Jewish books) over to the Lexus then settled down inside. Eli held the keys out to one of the other passengers. "Here you'll have to drive. I need to stay here to get my car towed."
"Don't worry about that," their benefactor spoke up. "I'll take care of the towing and I'll find my way home. Just go and have a good Shabbos." As Eli drove off he realized that he hadn't even asked the man his name! Even with the new car their problems weren't over. Traffic was very heavy and more than once they seriously considered turning back. But the thought of how the rest of the group was counting on them made them continue on. They could always spend Shabbos in a motel if it came to that. But they had to try their best.
Traffic finally eased up at around 4:30 in the afternoon. Just then Eli's cell phone rang. "This is AAA. We're in front of the World Trade Center but your car isn't here. Did you tow it already?" Eli realized that the man had the car towed-at his own expense.
At 5:45, with 24 minutes left until Shabbos the Lexus pulled into the Pamoner farm in Thent. The rest of the group, relieved by Eli's arrival, were impressed by the way they had traveled in style. Shabbos was beautiful and inspiring.
After Shabbos, Eli drove back to the city, tracked down the owner of the car - Mr. Isaac Lefkowitz - and brought his Lexus back to him. "We don't know how to thank you," Eli exclaimed. "You really saved our Shabbos."
"There's even more to the story," Mr. Lefkowitz told him. "I have a very successful business, but for years I've been bothered by the way I arrive home late on Friday afternoon, with hardly any time to prepare for Shabbos. This past Rosh Hashanah, I made a resolution that I would close up earlier on Fridays." He paused, then looked at Eli. "This Shabbos was the first week I left early. And there you were, waiting outside with your car." (From Visions of Greatness Reb Yosef Weiss, Vol. 6, p.89)
We should always jump at the opportunity to do a favor for a fellow Jew. The more desperate someone is for our help, the greater the mitzvah is to help him without delay.
Good Shabbos Everyone
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