Rabbi Yossi Biston and his brother Aaron have developed a slight variation of the traditional Yissachar-Zevulun partnership. Aaron is involved in business, while Yossi dedicates himself to Torah outreach, spreading Torah in and around Broward County, Florida.

At one of the meetings of the Machne Israel Development Fund, Aaron told the Rebbe that he was helping Yossi purchase a new facility, but they were encountering problems getting a zoning approval.

The Bistons were completely perplexed by the Rebbe’s reply: “In the sichah I just delivered, I already said to make Chabad centers bigger.”

Baffled, they looked at one another… The problem was one of zoning, not size. How could making a building larger convince a city to approve its being rezoned? Moreover, how was it possible to make the building bigger if they couldn’t get a permit to use it for commercial purposes? If anything, the current large size and operational scope of the facility appeared to be the problem!

Upon his return to Florida, Rabbi Biston went to the commission meeting in a desperate attempt to resolve the zoning dispute. The mayor greeted him warmly, but explained that the building could not be approved by the zoning commission because it didn’t include sufficient parking space for the planned center. The words of the Rebbe, “Make it bigger,” echoed in Yossi’s mind.

Providentially, a parcel of land at the back of the center came on the market, perfectly suited for the needed parking lot. The sale was consummated the same day.

Having thus fulfilled the Rebbe’s directive to “make it bigger,” the Bistons were not surprised that the center received the city’s approval shortly thereafter.