We all know that "marriages are made in Heaven" but often we have to cooperate with the Hashgachah (Divine Providence) in order to benefit from the gifts waiting for us. The following, interesting story is related by Rabbi Zilberstein, in Aleynu Lishabeach and there is a lot that we can learn from it.

Two religious businessmen met in the lobby of a fancy hotel in Tel Aviv to complete a very large business deal. The copies of the contract were before them and they discussed the fine points as they read through its pages. Finally, they were ready to sign. The buyer took out an envelope with a lot of cash in it and placed it on the table. It was the deposit he would turn over to the seller as soon as they both had added their signatures to the document.

Suddenly, a worried voice sounded an alarm over the hotel's public address system. A suspicious object had been discovered in the hotel and everyone was instructed to evacuate the premises immediately and go out into the street until further notice.

Many people panicked as everyone tried to get to safety as soon as possible. These two gentlemen too left everything and went outside as fast as they could. Once they were in the street, though, the buyer realized that he had left the envelope with the money, together with the other papers on the table. He waited impatiently to return and as soon as they were able to he rushed back to the table - but the envelope with the money was gone.

The unfortunate fellow called the guards and a thorough search of the entire lobby was made, but to no avail. The money was nowhere to be found.

A few days later, another religious fellow had some business to do in the same lobby. While looking around, he noticed that one of the giant flower pots in the lobby was not standing properly. He went over to straighten it out, and noticed some paper currency sticking out from beneath it. He bent down and found the envelope with all of the cash.

The finder immediately went to a Rabbi to ask if he could keep the money or was obligated to return it to its rightful owner. The Rabbi ruled that in this situation, the money was his to keep. The owner had surely totally despaired of ever finding it again and at the time that it was lost most of the people in the hotel were non-Jewish workers. Therefore, he did not have to return it. However, the finder said that he would not be able to sleep at night knowing that he had something which someone else was pining over. He found out the particulars of the man who had lost it and invited him to his house.

When the owner heard what the man had told him, he was shocked at his honesty. However, he refused to take any of the money. "I totally despaired of ever recovering my loss again," he said to his host,"and so, it belongs to you." But the finder did not want to hold onto it either. This highly uncommon situation seemed to be a "stalemate" until the finder asked, "Do you by any chance have a son?" "As a matter of fact I do," replied the guest. He's waiting for me in the car outside." "Well," continued the host, "I have a daughter. Would you agree to let the two of them meet and see where this takes us?" "I certainly would," replied the other.

Within half an hour, the boy and girl met for the first of several dates. A few weeks later, a plate was shattered at their engagement and the money was used by both fathers to finance their children's wedding and purchase a home for them to build together. It would be a home based on Torah morals and ethics which would make Hashem very proud of His children.

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