Boy remembers help to parents 25 years after, donates $25,000 to Cleric

After 25 years of rendering support to an unknown family, Stony Brook, N.Y. rabbi was surprised by a kind gesture from a boy who remembered the help the cleric rendered to his parents.

Rabbi Chaim Grossbaum of Village Chabad-Stony Brook had come to the rescue of a boy and girl, saving their parents from eviction when they were unable to pay their bills.

To the surprise of Rabbi Chaim Grossbaum, he received an anonymous donation in his mailbox in the sum of $25,000.18 25 years after, with accompanying letter reminding him of his kindness 25 ago. The explanation made the cleric grateful and humbled by a kindness remembered.

Grossbaum was caught in surprise on a December morning when he found the $25,000.18 donation with a letter reminding him of his intervention to save a household 25 years ago, the boy, now a man, requested the rabbi to distribute the $25,000.18 donation as he considers useful to other people in need.

The boy was said to have explained in his letter,he wasn’t part of the congregation, yet when Grossbaum heard their “critical need for basic essentials like food and utilities,” he stepped in to help with “no fanfare and unwavering humility.”

The clergyman had acknowledged: “I remember him clearly.” Noting: “It really hurt the heart to see such young kids being evicted from their homes with nowhere to go. When they called Chabad House for help, we quickly mobilized and secured two months’ rent and a security deposit for them for a new place.”

The boy who wrote under anonymity narrated that in 1996, their father was hospitalized locally, and Grossbuam visited him every day, providing a “much-needed comfort to both him and my mother.” He added that “…when their father passed away, once again, the rabbi was there to shepherd them through it.” The boy declared: “The words you uttered that frigid February day still echo in my memory.”

The boy noted that he made a vow to pay for the intervention but was incapable then. He insisted that many years may have passed, but he never forgot the promise he made.; and 25 years after, he has been able to fulfil his promise.

The rabbi had remarked: “When I opened the envelope, needless to say, I was truly shocked.

“What struck me most was that I did what any other Chabad rabbi would have done. This is what we’re all about—not big events or numbers, but every individual, to simply help in whatever ways we can, both materially and spiritually.”

The boy encouraged the clergyman to distribute the donation with his discretion “to help one or more families in need.”