In this week’s Torah reading, Yaakov (Jacob) flees from his brother Eisav (Esau) who wants to kill him, and goes to Charan, his mother’s land of origin, to find a wife. The Midrash tells us (Bereishit Rabbah 68:2) that Yaakov was faced with a harsh situation. Avraham (Abraham) had sent his servant Eliezer to Charan, with camels loaded with goods, in order to procure a proper match for his son Yitzchak (Isaac). Now, Yitzchak’s son Yaakov was heading to the same place for the same reason, but he was penniless. Yaakov said to himself, “Where will my help come from? My parents cannot help me out in this far away land.” Yaakov then retorted to himself, “What am I thinking? Am I losing my hope in my Creator? I will not lose hope in Him. My salvation will come from God!”
Yaakov found himself in a difficult situation and started getting discouraged. It was truly a dire situation. But then he realized that it was a mistake to do so. It wasn’t bad luck which brought upon him this predicament. He was put into this situation as a test from God to prove his reliance on his Creator, and he was not going to fail!
God has complete control over every single thing in this world. Worldly circumstances do not interfere with God executing that which He desires. God has the power to change any situation at any given time, and there is no necessity for us to foresee how it will come about. A helpless situation is only helpless if we perceive it that way. In truth, God is always watching over us and taking care of us. Many times, when we experience difficulties in life, it is specifically in order to pose a test for us. Will we give up hope or will we realize that God is controlling everything from above?
Ordinary life, with things running as they should, does not force us to contemplate this notion. But when we find ourselves in trouble and we feel stuck, we have a golden opportunity to work on our faith. We can choose to despair and fail the test or we can realize that God is watching over us, and He will make sure that everything will turn out for the best. We don’t always know what is best for us, but God surely does, and God will see to it that things will turn out for us the way they should. Many times, we are put into a tough situation for the sole purpose of directing us to our Creator and putting our faith in Him; to mold our minds to a higher spiritual level, by focusing on the fact He has control of everything and He is taking optimal care of us.
The Beit Halevi writes (in his work on Bitachon [Trust in God]), that when one is stuck in a situation of which he sees no way out, he should remember times when Jews were stuck in predicaments which seemed to have no way out, yet God sent them salvation. One example he cites is Yonah (Jonah), who was swallowed by a fish, yet in the end, the fish expelled him onto dry land. Even when a situation seems hopeless, God has innovative ways of bringing salvation in an instant. It is our job to acknowledge this, and turn our hope to God.
A Story
It was Wednesday night, when his family starts gearing up for the Shabbat preparations, but Moshe (not his real name) was walking with a heavy heart. His wallet had run dry, and he had absolutely no money with which to purchase the usual Shabbat groceries. Not only did he have no money, he had no idea of how he should attempt to finance such a shopping trip, which his family so desperately needed. Turning his eyes to Heaven, he turned to God for help.
Shortly after he came home, his neighbor came over and asked him if he could do him a favor. Moshe, happy to do what he could to help his neighbor, followed him to his apartment. When he entered the apartment, the neighbor began to explain, “An opportunity came up, and we decided suddenly to move. Please take all the food we have in our cabinets, refrigerator and freezers, because we can’t take this stuff with us.”
Whenever we find ourselves in a tight spot, we should remember, that when it comes to God, any situation can be resolved in an instant. Instead of languishing in despair, we should utilize the opportunity, as our forefather Yaakov did, to turn our eyes to Heaven, and put our faith in Him.
By Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber torah4every1@gmail.com
