The following story, which appears in Borechi Nafshi, by Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein shlita, is one which every married couple should read. A young man from Haifa sent this story to Rabbi Zilberstein in a letter.

"One weekend, my wife and I were scheduled to spend Shabbos at her parents' home in Rechasim. At 12 in the afternoon, I had already ordered a taxi for 4 pm. However, when a neighbor heard that our apartment would be empty over Shabbos, she asked if we would allow her family who was coming to visit her to use it over the weekend.

"My wife, who loves to offer a helping hand whenever she can, immediately said yes. The problem was, though, that it was already 3:15 and we were in the midst of packing our bags for Shabbos. To make things more complicated, my wife is a meticulous person who would never think of giving our home to someone else unless it was spotless. She quickly forgot how little time we had left until our taxi would arrive, and she began washing the floors, putting things in their place and even cleaning some of the furniture.

"Time passed quickly and there were only twenty minutes left, but my wife was totally oblivious to our own plight and was totally immersed in her project. I didn't know what to do, but I knew for sure that if I as much as mention to her that we are short on time, she will get very angry that I don't understand the importance of what she is doing, and that could develop into a major argument before Shabbos.

"Eventually, I made a firm resolution: no matter what the consequences, I will not complain to my wife. Sure enough, my fears came true. Four o' clock arrived, the taxi downstairs was honking, and my wife was still busy putting the house in order; the perfect formula to get me angry usually. But I stuck to my resolution and didn't say a thing.

"I went down to the street, explained to the taxi driver that we cannot go with him because we are not ready, and I asked him how much he wanted to be reimbursed for the time that he wasted. He told me his price and I paid it completely without bargaining. He was thrilled. He got paid for doing nothing and was now available for another customer.

"But I was even happier. I felt like a soldier who had been successful in battle. I had overcome my natural instinct to be upset and I was taking things in stride.

"Finally, at 4:30, my wife finished cleaning. Then we continued to pack our bags. We called another taxi, and we were driven to Rechasim where we had a wonderful Shabbos. I felt very proud of myself for acting like a real religious Jew is supposed to, and I knew that my neshama (soul) had been elevated.

"There is a continuation to this story - I don't really know for sure if it is connected or not, but these are the facts.

"My wife and I had been married for several years and were not blessed with children. All of our neighbors and friends had little ones, and we were broken-hearted. We didn't know what to do, and we prayed to Hashem to help us.

"A very short time after that Shabbos, when I overpowered my Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination), my wife became pregnant. I cannot describe the joy that permeated our house. And a few months later, my wife give birth to a healthy child, baruch Hashem."

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