This past Monday I was heading to my weekly Talmud class in Midtown. I have the subway schedule timed to the minute. That particular morning, as always, I left my office at exactly 11:08am feeling confident that I’d arrive at 11:29. But suddenly the train started to slow in between 68th and 59th Streets, until it eventually came to a complete stop. The conductor explained there were technical difficulties which were being resolved. Five minutes passed, then ten and I knew I was late.
Our class is comprised of extremely busy businessmen who lead hectic lives. Any delay is crucial. The class runs for exactly forty minutes, with a strict policy of no cell phones. So here I am on a broken train, thinking of all the people relying on my arrival, probably incensed at this total waste of time. We ended up stranded for thirty minutes, the hardest part for me being unable to tweet, text or update my Facebook profile.
After thirty minutes the train suddenly started chugging along, only to stop shortly after. The conductor announced the train will make its final destination at 59th Street, at which point we would all need to depart and find a new train to take us to 42nd Street. Now any chance I had of learning was totally quashed…
As Jews we know that nothing occurs of its own accord, everything is ordained by divine providence. G-d orchestrates the movements and existence of every creation- from a gust of wind to a grain of sand. Although I know everything G-d does is for a purpose, I still have no idea why He would prefer my train breaking down to me teaching a Torah class.
While stuck underground, I gazed around me and was somewhat surprised to note the atmosphere of calm and serenity. The reason for the amazement was that in any other circumstance, New Yorkers are usually stricken with “ants in their pants.” Take, for example, a drive down Lexington Avenue on an average Wednesday afternoon. When I wait by a red light, the guy behind me starts honking the second the light turns green. That’s because the city is always on the go, always moving. So it was with great amusement that I pictured the scene several feet up as opposed to the unnatural one down below.
And then the answer dawned upon me. I realized that the passengers had perfect faith in the conductor to solve the situation. They knew with absolute certainty that the train would start operating again. They could choose to get anxious and perhaps break down doors, but their simple faith negated such a reaction, for they were convinced that shortly they would be out of this predicament.
The same holds true in our lives. I paid a spiritual visit to a friend of mine recently who is undergoing a financial crisis as a result of losing his job. I put up mezuzot in his house and showed him how to don tefillin every day. I explained to him that he still needed to do everything possible to find a new job, but in addition to that, there was one other thing. Our Sages teach us that the thoughts of man generate tremendous power. “Think good and it will be good” is nothing new to Judaism- we have been practicing this mantra for centuries. Because it works. In my situation on the train, I couldn’t help but notice the people’s faith and positive reaction toward the conductor. If we can trust a cunductor surely we can put our faith in the One Above.
This is the very lesson we learn from Yaakov in this week’s parsha. He encounters his twin brother Esav who has designs on his life. Twenty two years previously Yaakov had fled from his father’s home after he “stole” Esav’s blessings and Esav never stopped resenting him for the deception. Now, after all these years, Yaakov prepares to face the music. Before the dreaded meeting, Yaakov sends Esav gifts to try to appease him. Next he arms himself and prepares to fight. Lastly, Yaakov prays to G-d and places his full faith in His hands.
When one finds himself in a sticky situation, he is required to do everything in his power to resolve the situation. Just like Yaakov. But most importantly, he must remember where true salvation lies. In our dear Father in Heaven.