A yungerman from Monsey once required a special type of truck for his business. It was a truck that is very difficult to find since it is usually custom built and is very expensive — it costs more than $100,000. The yungerman, not having that kind of money — all he had was $20,000 — was in the market for a used truck, but he couldn’t find one.
He called me and gave $180, and asked if our shaliach could mention him at the tziyun with his request.
Before the shaliach had left the tziyun, the yungerman had already found a truck, exactly as he had been looking for. The only snag was that the seller wanted $28,000 for it, and he was short $8,000. He thought to himself, Rav Yeshayala doesn’t do half a job, sending him a truck but not at a price he could afford. If he sent the truck, it will surely also be for a price that I can pay.
"I don't have that much money," he informed the seller. "Can you perhaps sell it to me for $18,000?” It was an audacious request, he was asking him to go down by a full third, no more, no less.
The seller responded, "You know very well that the truck is worth much more than $28,000, but you seem to me like a very decent person, so for $20,000 you can have it."
The Yid immediately agreed. The only remaining problem was that the truck was in Boston and he wouldn't be able to come and take possession of it until a few days later. What if the seller backed out in the meantime?
"My word is a word,” the seller assured him. "If I told you it’s yours, it's yours, and I'll wait until you come to pick it up..."
