Inspirational Moment

R’ Yeruchem Levovitz expounds on the first pasuk in the Torah, “ Bereishis bara elokim.” He states that as soon as one learns this pasuk he is made aware of the existence of a Creator and a King of the universe. This knowledge is life-transforming, for it makes possible the realization that all that takes place in the world is replete with meaning and purpose, and nothing is insignificant.

R’ Yeruchem Levovitz expounds on the first pasuk in the Torah, “ Bereishis bara elokim.” He states that as soon as one learns this pasuk he is made aware of the existence of a Creator and a King of the universe. This knowledge is life-transforming, for it makes possible the realization that all that takes place in the world is replete with meaning and purpose, and nothing is insignificant.

Maran HaRav Avigdor Miller ztl. often said that one can gain a true appreciation for the providence of Hashem by observing nature. A rose, for example, is formed with perfect symmetry, and its basic chemistry prevents it from producing any unpleasant odor. Yet its stem is covered with prickly thorns which grow irregularly along its length, at random. If the flower of the rose is so visually perfect, why is the stem not as flawless?

HaRav Miller explains that the rose was created this way for a precise reason. Many insects crawl up from the ground and feed on the growing blossoms, often destroying them in the process. Hashem wanted to protect the rose in bloom, so He placed the thorns in a haphazard way, with no pattern or symmetry, which prevents the insects from finding a direct path up to the flower.

HaRav Miller explained the beauty of an apple in a comparable manner. The apple seeds are hard, with a very plain-looking covering which discourages their consumption. They are therefore thrown on the ground and discarded, allowing the seed to continue thrive again and produce many more fruits. As the apples begin to grow, they are green, camouflaged and hidden from the human eye amid the leafy growth of the tree and are hardly visible, ensuring that they remain on the tree until they are fully developed and ready to eat. When the fruit is ready to be picked and eaten, the apples begin to ripen and turn beautiful shades of bright red and yellow.

R’ Yisroel Salanter, the founder of the mussar movement, strongly emphasized that a person’s emunah should be based on the steadfast belief that everything is from Shamayim. Even when a person is struck with illness, there are often many ruchniyus’dik reasons for its occurrence.

R’ Yisroel was once very ill, and his family sent him to Germany to seek the advice of some top physicians. The family also hired an attendant to accompany R’ Yisroel so that his needs could be tended to on the long journey. On the road, the aide himself got sick, and he became the patient. R’ Yisroel took on the task of caring for the man, feeding him, giving him to drink and nursing him back to health.

The attendant who was a great yerei shamayim felt terrible that the gaon and tzaddik, R’ Yisroel, had to wait on him, in addition to his own failure to carry out the task for which he had been hired.

R’ Yisroel explained, “The ways of Hashem are hidden from us. Who knows whether the restoration of my health will be an outcome of my helping you?” Based on his faith in hashgacha pratis, he argued that it was very possible that initial decree from shamayim was that the attendant should become ill. However, since he had no family who would be concerned about him, R’ Yisroel became ill. Since he did have family who was anxious about his well-being, they hired the attendant. In this way, when the attendant was unwell, R’ Yisroel was there to care for him. “Subsequently, it may be,” concluded R’ Yisroel, “that I too will be cured.”