We recently held a beautiful Shabbat dinner, geared towards young professionals. We had wounded IDF soldiers coming, as well as some celebrities.
Planning an event during covid involves a lot of guesswork and a lot of maybes and plan Bs. It’s hard to know when people will show up en masse and when people will stay home.
But we started advertising two weeks before, and the reservations came in swiftly. With a week to go, we were fully sold out; hundreds of tickets bought.
We even oversold a few tickets, assuming that some would cancel at the last minute, which they did.
And then the calls came pouring in.
“Do you have room for one more?”
“It looks like the website is down; why can’t I buy a ticket?”
“Are you absolutely sold out? You must have room for just one!”
“I tried reserving last week but there was a problem with the computer and now when I try, it’s sold out. Please help me. I really want to come!”
Then we received a one-of-a-kind call from Yankel. “I must come to the Shabbat dinner,” he said. “I am determined to buy a ticket and am willing to offer 500% more than the ticket price as a donation. Charge my card for $500 instead of $95.”
What an offer!
Should I have taken him up on it?
The more I thought about it, the clearer a lesson began to form in my mind.
We all have things we cherish, things we would be willing to pay a 500% markup to obtain or experience.
How about an airline ticket to your favorite destination in peak season?
What if there were a shortage of your dream car; how much extra would you pay?
How much would you offer for the latest iPhone this second? A new watch? Dinner at your sold-out favorite restaurant for a special occasion.
The fact that Yankel was willing to pay 500% more for a Shabbat dinner is actually incredible! That’s what he values—celebrating Shabbat with friends and community, and honoring our IDF soldiers. Far more important than vacations, cars, or iPhones.
We should all be willing to pay extra for spiritual matters! They are critical for our souls.