By COLlive reporter
It really isn’t ever too late to correct a wrong.
R’ Avrohom Ruchamkin was manning his Makolet Avraham grocery story in Bnei Brak this week when 2 bochurim dropped off an envelope and ran for the door.
In the envelope he found a hand-written letter and a check for 300 Israeli shekel ($73), according to frum news site bhol.co.il.
It read, “When I was a child, I would “take” from time to time, over a period, chocolates from the grocery (not in large amount) and I regret doing so and I’m attaching here an amount of money.”
“My request is that you say clearly ‘I forgive’,” the letter added.
After reading it, Ruchamkin, gabbai of the Chabad shul in Bnei Brak, immediately called out “I forgive you!” although the youngster was long gone.
“I run this store for 33 years and this is the first time such a thing happened to me,” he told the website.
He said that in the past a youngster met him at a wedding and asked forgiveness for doing the same and the same was with an apology envelope left at his door one night.
“But this case, when an amount was attached to the person asking for forgiveness, touched me,” he said, noting that it showed the person’s sincerity.
“From what I saw, this was a bochur who is in Yeshiva all day and does not have a job. I would assume he has collected the money over time and didn’t dare ask his parents for the sum,” he guessed.
The money will be donated to charity, Ruchamkin said.
Commanding officer of the Dan Region Police, Albert Ohayon, commented: “I doubt what the boy stole was worth 300 shekel. It’s touching that these are the residents living in this area.”
when i just came to 770 (I’m BT) i locked a crate(milk box) to stand during fabrengen and when i came to take was GONE — Hagonev meganav potur – those milk crates are stolen from stores and dairies and they have no business being in 770. I don’t blame you for taking them because they’re there for the taking, but any yukel can just hammer some wood together or buy a stepstool rather than take property from others. You probably also had the chain set up in a way people would trip, so perhaps the maintenance staff clipped your… Read more »
My husband has a grocery store in Crown Heights. A few years ago he received a letter from a shliach in a distant land. The shaliach sent a similar letter, enclosing money, & apologizing for taking merchandise without paying. Needless to say we were impressed,& of course forgave him.
Years after I closed my store, I received an anonymous envelope containing $20.00. In the letter accompanying the money, the bochur wrote that he had been to my store, and together with some friends stole pants for the ‘fun’ of it. Regretting his part in the ‘fun’ he returned the money, regretting his aveirah. I fully forgave him, and hope he has led an honest, frum life since.
This is a true story, going back almost 25 years ago. We were american bohurim learning in Israel, and took an El Al flight back to Y, The flight did not leave, and they put us up in a hotel near the airport – or tel aviv. being we were bochurim, we really did not take food with us, especially for an overnight trip in addition to the flight. But it was shnas Hashmita and we were not sure if we could or not eat the fruit and veggies. We saw Reb Avrohom Ruchamkin and his wife at the hotel,and… Read more »
BS”D
Kol HaKovod! Please follow in suit if anyone did this,
THIS IS Kapporoh for the aveira of stealing, a real amazing Kapporah,
i’d call this person a Tzaddik right away
when i just came to 770 (I’m BT) i locked a crate(milk box) to stand during fabrengen and when i came to take was GONE
iwas so furious i almost gave up ( and become fry)
B”H
I wish that the person who stole the last Maamer given out by the Rebbe from my Tallis bag in 770 some 20 years ago,would do the same and return it.The theft (and make no mistake a Rav has stated that this is not a Chassidishe ganava-if even such a thing exists-and if you will now write that the Rebbe used that term-he merely copied a manuscript but did not ever chas v’ sholem steal it) has left me heart broken (unlike the candy which was not even known to be missing and thus not missed).
kol hakavod, anonymous bachur!
heartwarming!
Beautiful story! If only there were more like him around . . . to realise and then to rectify his past ”sins” in such an amazing touching way! Very heart warming! 🙂
I returned about $100 to 3 different stores in Crown Heights. One was owned by Hispanic people and the other two by Yidden.
I walked up to the owners and told them that I stole from them as a kid. One of them has since closed down. However I remember who the owner was and I approached him one day on the street and returned the money.
don’t you think the bochur is embarrassed enough about his actions. I’m sure he doesn’t want the world knowing about it with his HAND WRITTEN letter. Just sayin.
what an inspiration . this boy has achieved a total intergration of the Torah he learns with what is expected of him as a Jew. his living with Yiras Shomayim has truly made him into a better person . In my understanding that is exactly what Hashem wants . Forget about shpitz and yichus this is the boy a mother should be looking for for her daughter .he will ,please G-d , have the capacity to inspect his behavior and work on himself on an ongoing basis. What a gift to a wife , children and business associates.Yashar Kochacha !… Read more »