I’ve driven a minivan for the last 15 years. It’s a car that almost seems like it was made with Chabad families in mind. It’s not quite big enough for all of us, but it’s the closest to what we need, and we appreciate it daily.
Alas, my lease expired at the end of last year, and no new minivans were available. With the chip shortage and other supply chain issues, not to mention the growing popularity of car travel during all the shutdowns, there were simply no minivans to be had. So I extended the lease on my old car for the time being.
Recently the leasing department let me know that they have new cars, but they’re in short supply. Of course, I rushed over, not wanting to lose out, and turned in my old car for a brand new minivan.
The old car was in pretty bad shape. Three and a half years of driving and parking in NYC traffic will do that. Not to mention daily living with eight kids … Neither the exterior nor the interior were in anything close to mint condition.
So you can imagine how proud I was to drive out in our brand new shiny car. I gave my kids strict instructions that no food is allowed in the car until next week so we don’t even have to Pesach clean it. I was enjoying the new car smell, fresh, polished, clean, smooth leather, no scratches or dents, not a single crumb to be found … ahhh.
Now, every week Shevy and I go on a coffee date, and that was our first drive in the new car. We were on East 85th Street, waiting patiently for the light to turn green, chatting and having a good time, when out of nowhere we felt a tremendous boom! I got out of the car to see what had happened and realized that an elderly man pulling out of a parking lot hadn’t checked his rearview mirror and had plowed right into our brand new Honda minivan! Just our luck.
I was so frustrated. I’d been driving extra carefully and really did not need this on our first drive. It couldn’t have waited a couple of months?!
The whole side door was bent out of shape, knocked in, scratched. Thank G-d, Shevy and I were safe. The driver apologized and we took down his insurance information.
And as I recovered, I started to wonder what lesson I could take away from the experience.
Nothing in this world happens randomly. Everything is Divinely orchestrated. Yes, the elderly man was G-d’s agent to damage our newly minted vehicle on its very first ride, but he was just that—an agent. Hashem is the one in control. He’s the one who wanted this to happen to us.
Do I know what He was trying to tell me? What message He wanted to send? I do not. But perhaps it was this: “Hey, Vigler! Don’t be so proud of your new car. A car is just a tool to transport you from place to place. Focus more on going to the right places and doing the right things, and less on how you get there.”
We’re about to sit down for the Pesach Seder, where we thank Hashem for taking us out of Egypt, and redeeming us from our worries and pain. Every single day is a spiritual journey to get us to our destination.
Let’s focus on the critical components so that we experience Pesach in the best manner possible, and enjoy freedom in the truest sense of the word.
Chag sameach!