Manna From Heaven
January 6, 2023
Trying to make ends meet, on a Rebbe’s salary in the late 1970’s, was not easy. Needed to seek some kind of supplementary income in the afternoon, to support my growing family.
One day I decided to visit the famous Hardware Show in Manhattan with another Rebbe, to see if there were any opportunities. Towards the end, we were attracted to the Bulb Miser exhibit. There we were introduced to a very intriguing product, invented by NASA. The technology consisted of a thermistor alloy, designed to protect the Satrun booster rocket from current surges. Scientists figured, they could protect an incandescent light bulb from failing prematurely the same way. By inserting a small round thermistor device between a light bulb and socket, current surges could be prevented from shocking the delicate filament inside the bulb, when turning the light on. The Bulb Miser could extend average bulb life by four times. Considering the cost of bulbs and labor to replace them, especially in commercial establishments, this product seemed to be a winner and easily marketable.
Every year NASA publishes a magazine called Spin Off. It features products, developed from the technology invented in the course of space exploration and how they trickle down to benefit the general public. The Bulb Miser was one such product. It captivated my attention and I saw a potential opportunity here. After some consultation, I risked a small investment and purchased a franchise from the patent holder. With time the investment paid off. In the course of marketing the Bulb Miser, other energy saving devices came to my attention.
I included them in my offer to commercial customers. Shortly thereafter, the compact fluorescent energy saving lamp made its debut. It’s projected savings, prompted commercial property owners to convert their incandescent light bulbs, into fluorescent. One of the great money savers of that time was converting exit signs, which burned round the clock. Reducing energy consumption by 75% in that application offered a quick payback on investment. So I also added an exit retrofit, to my energy savings package.
Soon a public utility found out about the product and shocked me with an unexpected order for 3,000 units. Considering the potential profitability, I figured out how to manufacture the product myself, instead of sourcing it elsewhere and reselling it. Purchased a machine and the raw materials required for fabrication, and packaging. Soon my family and I were manufacturing the product in the basement of our home. It was an opportunity sent from Hashem, not to be passed up. Managed to ship the product timely and Boruch Hashem got paid in full shortly thereafter. It was Yom Tov, to say the least. The profit was equal to two years of my Rebbe salary at that time. Salvation sent straight from Hashem to my family.
Two years passed and then one day I received a shocking phone call from the public utility. They were requesting permission to return 2,700 units and to get a full refund. I told them that it was impossible to authorize such a return, two years after the original ship date, plus the technology had already advanced and changed.
I was puzzled however, how it was possible for the utility to order 3,000 retrofits in the first place and now two years later, want to return 2,700. It just didn’t make any sense.
Asked the question and the answer I received was quite shocking. The utility staff was doing inventory and found 2,700 extra exit retrofits on their shelf. They couldn’t understand why. After some investigation they discovered, that the original purchase order was only supposed to be for 300 units. The secretary that typed the purchase order, by mistake added a 0 to the 300 which became 3,000. Now they found an extra 2,700 retrofits, which they didn’t need and were never supposed to be ordered in the first place. Their answer startled me.
I began to wonder what actually took place here. Hashem literally sent an Angel, to slightly flick the pinky of the secretary, as she was typing the purchase order, resulting in an additional zero. To top it off she didn’t notice it, nor did her supervisor. Had she checked her work prior to releasing the order, she would have caught it. Hashem has many messengers to provide Jews with Parnosah.
When we say that a person’s livelihood is decided by Hashem every Rosh Hashona, it’s 100% true, to the last dollar.
I did nothing for this. Hashem made it happen, start to finish. From the profit of that large order, received by mistake, I was able to develop the business further.
Looking back now, 40 years later, I have found, that no other company besides mine, that originally bought a franchise exists today, including the patent holder franchiser. It amazes me, when I think about the original marketing slogan the franchisers used to promote the product. “We went to the moon to bring you Bulb Miser”.
Truthfully speaking, one of the reasons they went to the moon was, so that a poor Rabbi should be able to provide for his family. Hashem provided, despite lacking a college education or business experience. Only through pure Seyate Dishmaye.
Went to Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky zt”l to consult. He told me, “not always does Hashem send people many great opportunities in their lifetime. Sometimes he may only send one great opportunity. If you don’t take advantage of it and miss it, you may never have such an opportunity again”. He encouraged me to try and take the business to the next level and blessed me to continue educating and spreading Torah the rest of my life. Was able to support my family from this single opportunity for forty years. When Hashem sees honest effort and trust in Him, He takes over and makes it all happen. No words are adequate to Thank You Hashem.
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