Chance Encounters

Yankel’s Bar Mitzvah was in just a few days – and the tefillin were months overdue. Kindly Mr. Weinberg – a stranger – had brought them from Israel – and forgotten them at the airport. Exhausted from the trip but chagrined at his oversight, he took a taxi and sped to the airport, in the impossible hope that his briefcase would still be waiting for him at the terminal door. (It wasn’t.) As the cab pulled into the airport parking lot, frantic, tired, guilt-ridden Mr. Weinberg opened the door, and he saw an overflowing garbage can with a maroon velvet bag balanced atop the trash.

His tallis bag! With Yankel’s tefillin still inside!

A “Chance Encounter”?

A “rational person” would think so. But Mrs. M. L. Mashinsky is wiser than rational. This great lady has learned that many wonderful happenings are not really by chance, but are part of the design of the Master Architect of Creation, Who weaves together seemingly unlikely strands to produce the tapestry of His design.

Mrs. Mashinsky has had a life full of encounters – as co-head of a major community charity (with many more calls for help than dollars in the bank), as a school principal, as the mother of a large family, and a vast assortment of “all and sundries.” During the course of a fruitful and productive life, she has seen many, many “chance encounters,” each one further confirming a profound and unshakeable faith in the One Who fashions events in accordance with His plan.

Keen observer and wonderful storyteller that she is, Mrs. Mashinsky has assembled stories from far and wide. Here, she offers us the fruit of her labor.

This collection reads like unbelievable fiction – except that every single story is based on true events (with occasional changes to protect the privacy of the protagonists).

It’s a heartwarming and fascinating book. Whether for the sheer enjoyment of the stories or the inspiration that they exude, this is a book to read and remember, filled with stories to enjoy, savor, and share.