The cab stopped for a moment next to a Jerusalem bus stop on a very busy thoroughfare. The driver called to a gentleman who was waiting for a bus.

Cab drivers rarely pause for even a moment, especially when there are impatient drivers behind them, unless they see someone flagging them down for a ride. The fellow waiting for the bus had no intention of spending money on a cab so his first reaction was to ignore the call as the desperate solicitation of a customer on a slow day for cab drivers. When the cabbie called again he suddenly realized that he was being informed that his wallet had fallen on the ground when he had reached into his pocket to take out his monthly bus pass.

For the fortunate retriever of his wallet this was a lesson in judging others favorably. For all of us it should be a reminder that cab drivers are not necessarily fare-hungry extensions of a steering wheel but are thinking, feeling creations of G-d and deserve a nice "thank you" at the end of the ride and not only when they help you retrieve a lost wallet.