In a live broadcast on Radio Kol Berama, presenter Ami Maimon spoke to Rav Moshe Re’em, a son-in-law of Rav Yaakov Edelstein who passed away seven years ago and was the brother of Ponovezh rosh yeshiva Rav Gershon Edelstein.
Rav Re’em shared that Rav Edelstein’s family was urgently searching for a cabby from Rishon Letzion named Reuven Katayav, who drove Rav Edelstein on October 30, 2001, 23 years ago.
On the cabby’s receipt recently found among Rav Yaakov’s papers, the family noticed a handwritten note from Rav Yaakov stating, “I need to return two shekel to this cabby because he gave me too much change.”
Rav Re’em emphasized that although Rav Yaakov recorded the sum due to the mitzvah of hashovas aveidah, it was not obligatory to invest effort in finding the cabby to return such a small sum. But the family wanted to anyway.
Presenter Ami Maimon informed Rav Re’em that the driver had already been identified by an acquaintance of the Edelstein family, Yona Kirshenbaum, who located the driver through the driver’s grandson. And so, a circle that had begun 23 years ago was finally closed.
{Matzav.com Israel}