Wife startled as husband abruptly takes shirt off in public — when she realized why, it left her in tears

When Raizel Namdar was walking the streets of New York City with her husband, Dani, she didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary. It was a typical afternoon with busy sidewalks, people in a rush, and noise blending into the background. But then, without any real warning, her husband paused, looked ahead, said something she barely caught, and walked away. It took her a moment to register what he’d said, and even longer to understand what he was doing. But when she finally got it, the gesture left her touched. She promptly captured the moment and shared it on their Instagram page @thatjewishfamily.

Raizel saw Dani approaching a man sitting shirtless on the sidewalk. In the post, she explained, "Dani just said I’m gonna give that guy my shirt and he walked off." He stood beside the man patiently, taking off his jacket, then his dress shirt, and handing it over without hesitation. Raizel watched as he bent down, helped the man into the shirt, adjusted it carefully, and spoke to him softly. Raizel later explained the deeper meaning behind her husband’s action in the caption. "Did you know in Judaism charity isn’t just 'a kind act' but it’s so fundamental that the Hebrew word for charity is 'Tzedokah,' which actually translates as 'justice' — because that’s what it is, the just thing to do," she wrote. The video resonated deeply with viewers, many of whom commented not just on the kindness but the sensitivity and humility in how it was done.

@raylynndy wrote, "This is incredibly beautiful. I was deeply moved watching this interaction." @thefigureouter added, "The fact that you captured this without showing his face shows a special level of sensitivity. Very beautiful." @jppears noted, "Your husband is truly a man of God. His humility and kindness should be a lesson to us all. Thank you." @kahagerman commented, "The horrifically shocking part of this video is the hundreds of people who walk by with stone faces and never cast a glance in this poor man’s direction. We can all do better. Thank you, Dani." @naomipelled pointed out, "That’s right by the LV installation on 5th Avenue, and no one has stopped to help him before you arrived? What your husband did is very beautiful. It saddens me that we live in a world where that man was left in that state all day till you both came along."

A study conducted by researchers at the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute provides empirical evidence that witnessing acts of kindness can inspire observers to engage in similar prosocial behaviors, something they called 'contagious kindness.' In the study, participants watched a video titled "Unsung Hero," which depicted a young man performing various acts of kindness throughout his day. After viewing the video, participants were allowed to donate to a children's hospital. Those who watched the kindness-themed video donated 25% more than participants who viewed a control video featuring athletic stunts.

You can follow Raizel and Daniel Namdar (@thatjewishfamily) for more daily life content.