In the fall 1993, we had decided that we needed to leave Dallas and move to a Jewish community that was more established. In particular, we needed a Beis Yaakov. (We didn't actually know that term yet, but that is actually what we had in mind.) We were newly Torah observant, and the idea of sending our daughters out of town for high school was not a scenario that was in our mindset at all. We had already rejected California (we were from that and wanted to remain from there) and New York (my father's family had left New York and always talked about how everyone left in New York envied them). We had been to a chasuna in Chicago and spent a Shabbos here. On Shabbos afternoon my wife saw all the girls going to Shabbos groups; the decision was made. All that remained was finding a job.
Baruch HaShem, I had a good friend who had recently moved to Chicago and he was able to help me get an interview at Motorola. I spoke to the hiring manager over the phone (dude... long before Zoom and virtual interviews!) and he decided he would like me to come up for an interview with this team. I was 100% up front with him and told him that the cost of living was higher in Chicago than Dallas, so I'd need a better salary than I was currenting making. I would also need moving expenses; there was no way I could afford to move my family of five with all our belongings and closing costs on a new house. He said that he understood and still wanted me to come up. We set the date for the first week of October, 1993. (You will see why all these dates are important.)
The interview went well, Baruch HaShem. My friend was able to get us a kosher meal for the interview, so he also benefited. I came back home and waited. Just a couple of days later, the hiring manager called me at work; they wanted to offer me the position. Baruch HaShem, one less thing to worry about. Then he told me the details of the offer; less money and no moving expenses. I was, to say the least, stunned. I reminded him that we had already discussed my financial needs before I had even accepted the interview; this was not negotiable. He offered a few wan attempts to convince me and finally ended the conversation with, "Let's stay in touch." I just said, "Sure", and hung up (we still had real desk phones in those days). His offer was not even close, he offered no hint that anything was negotiable. Sigh. I reflected on what had happened and was just very happy that I had a good, secure job at a prestigious national lab; the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). Moreover, high school for my daughter was a couple of years away. Baruch HaShem; things could not be better.
Then, on Tuesday, October 19, 1993, congress voted to cut further funding for the SSC. Just like that. We knew, of course, that a vote was due, but we all felt -- and had been led to believe -- that it was just a rubber stamp. It wasn't. Now I was out of a job. The only bright point was that the SSC would offer us a generous severance to help move on with our lives. They had brought scientists and engineers from all over the world to build a new science and engineering community around a world class lab. Of course, they were starting fresh, so we moved to the middle of nowhere to create this beautiful new facility. That gone, we were now all stranded in the middle of nowhere. I was glad now that he had said, "Let's stay in touch." The scheduled a meeting for the next couple of days to tell us the details of the severance packages and options. I decided to wait for that meeting to call back, so I would know what I could afford.
On Wednesday, October 20, 1993, the hiring manager from Motorola called. Since this was the largest science lab the world had ever started, the sudden cancellation was in all the news, so I didn't expect this conversation to go well for me. "How about if we offer you a 10% raise and full moving expenses? Would you take the job then?" I was more than stunned; he clearly hadn't seen the news; or, at least, it hadn't registered with him that I was now out of a job. I accepted. It was parashah לֶךְ-לְךָ, by the way.
I have told this story many times over the last 30 plus years (you may have already heard it from me). I know it very well. But something hit my last Friday when I told someone on the way home from shul. If I had not gotten the final offer right away, then I would have taken it and tendered my resignation... before the funding was cut, before there was a severance package. By getting that terrible offer while I had a solid job and lots of time, HaShem gave me an extra 20,000$ or so. Which is how we bought our house. Sharing stories of the precision with which HaShem runs the world helps to strengthen emuna; both for the teller and the listener. But I discovered this time that sometimes when we are in the middle of all the drama, we can miss important details. It is important to review these moments when HaShem is so clearly evident in our lives. Just like the light of a laser, the light of HaShem's presence only gets brighter upon each reflection.
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