It was already past midnight in Israel and “the law of diminishing returns” was in full force. Still, she persisted.
“Don’t you see the numbers on the form I sent you?”
“No, I see the form, and the columns and headings, but there are no numbers filled-in…”
Very belatedly, Aliza made an incredible discovery. Simultaneously, she recalled the imperative to always be milamed zechus. But, seriously, how was she to have known? Although she had sent her husband the forms twice, he had indeed never actually seen the pertinent information.
She excitedly read all the missing numbers to her husband. The original amounts that had been found in discrepancy by two consecutive annual audits were more than pocket change, to be sure, but only 15% of what the initial letter had demanded. With Yehuda’s blessing, Aliza phoned the IRS agent and explained the situation to her.
The agent opened her own copy of the audit and echoed Aliza’s wonder about the exorbitant sum that was now being demanded. And, she expressed her personal gut feeling that the current amount had been recorded in error. Then, she asked Aliza to phone her again the following Monday, after she had time to do some research.
Aliza dutifully marked the date on her calendar, noting that Yehuda was, be”H, due to return that very evening. She slept somewhat more soundly that night after having solved the combined mystery.
And each and every day she davened very earnestly for her family, her elderly parents, as well as for further help with the IRS dilemma. Her Shemoneh Esrei now included a few additional paragraphs, seamlessly inserted into Shema Koleinu, delineating all her myriad requests. And she felt that Hashem was listening and shared her concern.
On Monday evening, Yehuda phoned from the airport to report that he had, b”H, arrived back in the Holy Land, safe and sound albeit exhausted, and was on his way home. Aliza checked the time difference and then called the IRS office as instructed.
“I have good news for you!” announced the angel from the tax department. “I checked into it and confirmed my suspicions. An agent had made an error in inputting an amount in your file. The decimal was in the wrong place!”
She assured Aliza that the figures would be updated and corrected paperwork mailed out soon.
“Call me when you receive the new papers!”
Aliza felt that a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The journey had not ended, but the road had been paved and straightened. Her sincere tefillos had worked the magic she had hoped for with every fiber of her being. First the house; now the IRS.
As she awaited Yehuda’s homecoming, Aliza took out her worn leather-bound Tehilim, a cherished personalized gift bestowed several years earlier by her oldest daughter upon the latter’s return from seminary in Eretz Yisrael. She sat down on her favorite spot on the living room couch, and with tears of joy and gratitude adding a sparkle to her eyes, lovingly opened it to the familiar beloved verses which she already knew by heart.