The Lottery Ticket Answer

In 1996, Yael Frishman was hosting a Shabbos meal when a guest ridiculed the stories of miracles connected with the Rebbe, calling them fairy tales. Yael chose not to argue, feeling that a confrontation would be disrespectful. However, the comments stayed with her, and her son-in-law later remarked that such skepticism usually stems from a lack of deep study and understanding.

Earlier that Friday, Yael had been struggling with significant debts and decided to buy a lottery ticket. When her son brought the ticket home just before the start of Shabbos, she hurriedly tucked it into a volume of Igros Kodesh that was sitting on the table, without looking at the page.

After Shabbos, her son-in-law found the ticket and opened the book to the page it marked. He began to laugh in surprise as he read the Rebbe's words. The letter, which the Rebbe had dated on a Friday, specifically mentioned that it is praiseworthy to believe and that one should not argue with those who laugh out of a lack of knowledge.

Furthermore, the letter addressed the very financial issues Yael was facing. The Rebbe advised the writer to be careful with giving charity before prayers and to recite the daily portion of Psalms in connection with debts. Yael was stunned to find, in one letter, an answer both to her family's debate and to her financial worries.