n her later years, the Rebbezin, the wife of the Lubavitcher Rebbe would be driven to Long Island to spend time outside and benefit from the fresh air. During one of those trips, she was forced to take a detour because of construction on the highway. Driving along an alternate route, her and her driver noticed a police car parked near a house where movers were taking out furniture.
A distraught couple sat there crying with their children at their side. As they drove past, the Rebbezin indicated to the driver to stop and inquire what was going on. The driver learned that a Russian Jewish family was being evicted from their home by the marshal for failure to pay several months rent.
The Rebbezin asked the driver to approach the person in charge and ask how much the family owed. The landlord was there, and after looking at the driver suspiciously, he named the exact amount- a very large amount. As soon as the driver relayed the information to the Rebitson, she took out her personal checkbook and wrote out a check for the full sum.
She directed the driver to pay the landlord discreetly so that the family would not notice and be embarrassed. On their way home, the driver asked the Rebbezin, What made you stop and decide to give such a large sum of money to total strangers? The Rebbetzim replied thoughtfully, “In my childhood, my father, the Rebbe Rayatz, once took me to a park.
We sat on a bench, and he spoke to me about how Hashem guides everything that happens in the world. When something out of the ordinary occurs, it’s a hashgachah pratis, divine design, and we must ask ourselves, what’s in it for me? When we took that detour, my father’s words rang in my ears. I knew that there must be something here for me to accomplish. And that is why I decided to be the agent for her salvation.”
I’m reminded of this story by a profound insight by Rav Yerucham Levovitz, the Mashgiach of Mir. In the beginning of parshas Shelach, Rashi explains why the story of the spies is found immediately after the story of Miriam’s tzaraas. These wicked people saw what happened to Miriam for speaking lashon hara, and yet they did not take the lesson to heart.
Rashi’s comment seems puzzling. Is this really the worst thing that the spies are guilty of? Speaking lashon hara about the land? They express doubt about whether Hashem would be able to conquer it. They said the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael are stronger than Hashem, lacking emunah and demonstrating a form of heresy.
Why are we harping on the fact that they failed to learn a lesson from Miriam? Yerucham explains, Although they were guilty of other sins, Rashi is highlighting this failure because it’s the most telling and relevant one. The problem of the spies was that their eyes were closed to growth. They ignored the lesson in front of them that would have helped them make the right choice.
They saw a world divorced from Hashem’s involvement, a world that had nothing to teach them, a world devoid of divine instruction and communication. This is what Rashi is teaching us. We must look at every occurrence as an opportunity to learn. From everything that happens, we can learn a lesson, and that is the way we continue to grow.
That is what motivated the Rebbetzin to stop on the side of the road and pay off a stranger’s debt. Everything that happens is by divine design. We can see it when we open our heart and mind. Within each and everything we hear or see, we have to ask ourselves what is in it for me.
Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos.
