An unbelievable and completely unexpected encounter while flying left a yungerman from Crown Heights amazed at the incredible hashgacha pratis.

While in the airport, just a short distance from TSA security, Eli Horwitz approached a fellow traveler with an offer to put on tefillin. But the man declined, explaining, “I’ve never put on tefillin before.”

When Eli asked if they could speak for just one minute, the man again refused, making it clear that he was completely uninterested at that moment.

Eli had originally been assigned to seat 16 on the plane.

“At the very last second, I decided to change to seat 19B,” Eli shared. “There had been a cancellation, and that seat offered extra legroom, so it seemed like a much better option.

“You could imagine my shock and surprise when, as I settled in, the very same man I had just spoken to ended up sitting right next to me.”

“This is fate – it’s not a coincidence,” the man said, clearly surprised.

Eli, equally taken aback by the coincidence, explained that he had changed seats at the last moment and had originally planned to sit somewhere else.

“Me too!” the man replied.

Of course, Eli took the opportunity to ask about tefillin again. This time, the man didn’t refuse outright. They spoke together about the mitzvah of tefillin, discussing its meaning and significance. Within a short while, the man who had previously insisted he had never put on tefillin and would never do so had put them on for the very first time midair.

“We were both blown away,” Eli said.