A religious Jew by the name of David Gellis was on a business trip to Chicago. He spent an entire week immersed in work, and upon its conclusion, he grabbed a Friday afternoon flight back to New York. Shabbos was late, and he figured he had enough time to make it home after landing, before the z’man.
Unfortunately, right from the start, he realized there was a problem. Although all the passengers had boarded, the plane had still not budged from the terminal. A half hour went by, and suddenly the plane began to move. David relaxed a bit—he wasn’t too far behind schedule. But then he looked out the window and saw that the plane, which had begun to taxi toward the runway, was now headed right back to the terminal—back to where it had started.
The minutes ticked by. Soon, the flight was a full hour behind schedule. David began to sweat as he realized he might not make it home in time for Shabbos.
The captain came on the loudspeaker and announced that the delay was due to the President of the United States arriving in Chicago. For security purposes, no one was permitted to move until the President and his entourage had cleared out. He apologized for the delay and said they anticipated moving in about another hour.
Now David really began to panic. There was no way he’d make it home on time. His only option was to get off the plane and stay with a friend in Chicago. He motioned to a flight attendant and explained that he had to get off the plane, but she responded politely yet firmly that it was impossible—no one was allowed to come or go until the President had left.
David sat back in his seat and thought about it. He was stuck—it was crazy! He might not even make it to his friend’s house in Chicago. But then he thought... what would happen if he got sick and required medical attention?
All at once, David began to shake and clutched his chest, gasping and choking at the same time. His alarmed seatmate hastily called over the stewardess, who recognized the seriousness of the situation.
“Is there a doctor on board?” she called out in a shrill, pleading voice.
Seconds later, a middle-aged woman came bounding down the aisle, clutching a stethoscope.
“I’m a doctor,” she said loudly. “Let me see the patient.”
The stewardess pointed to David, and she began to listen to his chest.
“He’s having a heart attack!” she shouted, and demanded that they call an ambulance and have it ready to take him to a nearby hospital.
A wheelchair was found, and David sat down in it, still clutching his heart. He was shocked and began to think—maybe I really am having a heart attack! Within seconds, the doctor was pushing him to the door of the aircraft, where they were both permitted to deplane due to the seriousness of the situation.
She continued to push the wheelchair into the terminal and headed toward the airport exit. Suddenly, David held up his hand and she stopped pushing.
“You know what?” he said, with a relieved smile on his face. “I feel so much better. I don’t need to go to the hospital. Thank you for your help!”
David jumped out of the wheelchair, grabbed his small overnight bag, and ran to the nearest exit. He hailed the first taxi he found and arrived at his friend’s house with just a few minutes to spare. He spent a wonderful Shabbos in Chicago and told his friend about the fiasco on the plane and how he managed to get off just in time.
On Motzaei Shabbos, David took the first flight back to New York. Later on Sunday, when he went to daven Mincha, he told his Rav the amazing plane story. The Rav smiled as he listened and said he was collecting great hashgachah pratis stories.
A few weeks later, the Rav called him and told him... the rest of the story! He had just returned from a simchah in Chicago and overheard a woman talking to a few people. She was saying:
“I didn’t know what to do! The plane was stranded on the tarmac and not moving, and I realized I wasn’t going to get to New York on time. Suddenly, they called out for a doctor, and I came running. I saw a religious man in distress, but when I checked his heart, he was fine. Then, I realized this was my chance to get off the plane. I yelled that he was having a heart attack and that I needed to take him to the hospital. They let us off the plane, and I was looking for a paramedic to hand him over to, when the man just stood up and said he was fine. Then he ran out one exit—and I ran out another! Made it home for Shabbos with seconds to spare!”
Rabbi Dovid Hoffman is the author of the popular “Torah Tavlin” book series, filled with stories, wit and hundreds of divrei Torah, including the brand new “Torah Tavlin Yamim Noraim” in stores everywhere. You’ll love this popular series. Also look for his book, “Heroes of Spirit,” containing one hundred fascinating stories on the Holocaust. They are fantastic gifts, available in all Judaica bookstores and online at http://israelbookshoppublications.com. To receive Rabbi Hoffman’s weekly “Torah Tavlin” sheet on the parsha, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
