Wagshal Appliance
As a youngster growing up in Borough Park in the sixties, I came to know R’ Wagschal, a truly devoted Chasidic Jew, steadfast in his adherence to Torah and Mitzvos. He would not compromise on anything, when it came to leading a religious life, no matter what the situation.
He had a small appliance store through which he supported his family. All types of people would come in to purchase, washers, dryers, refrigerators, air-conditioners, televisions, radios, tape recorders etc. If you asked him however to sell you a television, he would politely refuse and say, “what I consider improper to look at, I won’t sell to you”. Although televisions in those days were a hot sale item, it didn’t matter to him. He regularly forfeited potential daily profits, firmly believing that by doing Hashem’s will, his livelihood would not be diminished in any way. “What is meant for me to have, was already inscribed on Rosh Hashana. Not selling televisions will not affect me negatively”.