Some prizes are claimed within minutes of victory. Others require considerably more patience. For Betzalel Reis, an American resident, nearly three decades passed before he finally held the award he earned as a young boy.
The story began in 1997, during the annual Lag BaOmer celebration organized by Chabad emissaries in Massachusetts for students and community members. According to a report on COLive, one of the event's main attractions was a watermelon-eating competition that drew numerous participants vying for the coveted title.
Young Betzalel Reis distinguished himself in that contest, consuming watermelon with determination and ultimately defeating all competitors to claim first place. The predetermined prize for the winner was a new copy of the Tanya, the foundational text of Chabad Chassidic philosophy. However, amid the festival's excitement and commotion, the prize was never distributed and eventually slipped from the winner's mind. Years passed, the boy grew up, and the small incident faded into childhood memories.
Over the following three decades, Reis became a recognized figure in the Jewish community. He earned the nickname "The Herring Man" for his upscale herring delicacies, unique pareve ice creams, and gourmet foods that he provides for events and celebrations across the United States. This past week, while traveling with family members through Worcester, he stopped by the local Chabad house in central Massachusetts to visit the community's emissary, Rabbi Mendel Fogelman.
During their conversation, which naturally turned to memories and nostalgia, Reis recalled the amusing incident and mentioned casually to the rabbi: "You know, in 1997 I won the watermelon-eating contest at the yeshiva's Lag BaOmer event, but I never received the Tanya book they promised as a prize." Rabbi Fogelman didn't hesitate. He immediately stood up, went to his office, and within moments returned holding a brand-new copy of the Tanya.
This closing of the circle included a touching detail: the Tanya presented to Reis wasn't just any volume from the shelf, but a special edition printed in nearby Holden—a short distance from where that forgotten watermelon contest had taken place nearly thirty years earlier.
The chance encounter that became a moving moment of completion demonstrated that even when life gets busy and small details tend to be forgotten, a promise made to a child decades ago remains valid, and it's never too late to study Torah or fulfill a commitment.
