I was on the phone with a member of our Belev Echad team in Israel the other day, discussing the needs of our wounded soldiers, when a second call started coming in.
I glanced at my screen to see who was calling and I froze.
It was the wife of a billionaire, one of the most well-known women in America.
My mind raced and I politely wrapped up my call so I could pick up hers.
“Hi, Uriel,” she said.
Not “rabbi.” Not “Rabbi Vigler.” Just … Uriel. Wow! How did we get to first-name basis so fast? Amazing!
While I’ve never spoken to this woman directly before, we are definitely connected. She has hosted our Belev Echad wounded soldiers multiple times: they’ve sailed on her private yacht, been wined and dined by their private chef, and ridden in her husband’s Rolls-Royce.
I’ve sent her pictures and videos and thanked her multiple times by text, and tried calling her a few times without success.
So, we start chatting. She’s extremely warm and friendly, right off the bat. “This is it; this is how it happens,” I think. In my head, I’m already thinking maybe she is interested in purchasing two new rehabilitation centers for our wounded soldiers.
I’m waiting for it and then it comes: “Uriel, I’m working on a project in Jerusalem. It’s a brand new swimming pool and I’d love for you to donate.”
Well, there’s a plot twist I wasn’t expecting! But I recover quickly.
“Wow, I’m honored you thought of me. I could probably do $360. How’s that?”
Silence.
Not a good silence.
“Uriel … come on. The funds involved here are a lot more than that.”
Now I’m confused.
I say, “Just to clarify … you know who you’re calling, right? This is Rabbi Uriel Vigler. I am the founder of Chabad Israel Center and Belev Echad for wounded IDF soldiers.”
“Oh my G-d! I meant to call a different Uriel!”
Somewhere out there is another Uriel living a very different life. A life where billionaires call asking him for donations. Oh, the irony!
She’s apologizing profusely. I’m laughing. What else can you do?
Then I have an idea. “Listen,” I say, “it’s not a mistake that we ended up on the phone today. It’s Divine providence. We need funds for our wounded soldiers in Israel. Maybe you can support us?”
But she politely declined. “No, I can’t donate right now.”
Later, I tried to see the lesson in our exchange.
For a moment, I thought I’d hit the jackpot. I saw her name on my phone and something inside me jumped. This is it. This is the call. A million dollars is about to come our way. I was already imagining everything we could accomplish. New rehabilitation centers, more soldiers helped, more lives changed.
I went from the highest high to the lowest low, but the truth is, none of it was real to begin with.
This is not a unique experience. We spend years chasing things that feel so real - money, success, comfort, recognition. But they are fleeting. Here today, gone tomorrow.
The only thing that is real and lasting and true is G-dliness. The only things we can truly own are Torah and mitzvot. Everything else can disappear in an instant.
Money, power, position, admiration, success - none of these belong to us. They are on loan.
Everything we have - and everything we don’t have - is exactly what Hashem has chosen for us.
We can’t control any of it. Not the faster line at the grocery store. Not the perfect deal. Not even the million-dollar donation.
The only things we can truly own - the things we can take with us into the World to Come - are the Torah we learn, the mitzvot we do, and the lives we touch. So that’s what we should focus on accumulating. Because when you have that, no one can take it away.