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Stand Tall Israel - The Sefer Torah LOST on A New York Subway - Rabbi Fischel Schachter AMAZING Divine Providence STORY

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Short Summary

Main recommendation: Return lost property to the proper owner even when it seems unlikely to be claimed, since persistence can lead to a meaningful reunion. The story follows a scribe who left a Sefer Torah on a New York subway, and the father and son who found it and worked for years to reunite it with its owner.

Key Points

  • A father and son on a New York subway sat near an elderly man carrying fishing rods, who got off at his stop and accidentally left a fishing rod/satchel on the seat.
  • The father and son took the rod, looked for a lost and found, and eventually learned of one at the 34th Street Station.
  • At the lost and found, they discovered a Sefer Torah (a handwritten Torah scroll) on a shelf and, after checking it with a scribe, placed announcements in local Jewish papers.
  • The scroll remained unclaimed for about 10 years before the original owner, a scribe, came to the finder's door and recounted leaving it on a train.
  • The scroll was returned to its owner after he described it in detail and was shown the ark where it had been kept.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions: The story does not give a step-by-step procedure, but it highlights practical actions: ask transit staff for lost and found information, call listed numbers, check with a scribe to verify a Sefer Torah is in good condition, and place announcements in local Jewish papers to find an owner.
  • The original owner was told he owed 15,000 to pay for the lost Sefer Torah (to replace it), which caused him years of financial and emotional distress.
  • The finders argued that since no owner had come forward, the Sefer Torah effectively belonged to the Jewish community, and used this reasoning to obtain the security guard's permission to take it.
  • The story is presented as a recounted tale told by Rabbi Fischel Schachter, not verified by independent sources.

Bottom Line

The story emphasizes that persistence in returning lost property, even when the odds seem poor, can produce a remarkable outcome, though the account is anecdotal and should be read as a story rather than a documented event.