Last week Chabad Israel Center celebrated Purim with a grand Mexican fiesta. Hundreds joined the party, and everyone I spoke to had a magnificent time.
The morning after the event I received an email* from one of the attendees which really made me stop and think:
Dear Rabbi,
What a great party last night!
I found myself chatting with your brother-in-law Avi Shlomo, and we began to share more meaningfully. As we discussed some of the stresses we were both facing, we concluded that it’s important not to worry too much about those day-to-day issues, because something much bigger might be right around the corner.
Later, as I walked home with my wife and young son, I had one of those “bigger experiences”. Not 20 feet before the intersection my son stopped and asked me to carry him. He said he was tired. We stopped for a minute, I picked him up, adjusted him so he was comfortable and I could walk properly, and continued on our way.
The light was green and we began to cross the street. The first two lanes had cars which were stopped. The third lane seemed empty. But as we stepped onto the street, a car sped right through that third lane at 50mph, followed by numerous police cars! Had we been five feet ahead, that car could have killed all three of us.
My wife and I did not sleep well after that. We were both shaken, and grateful to be safe and healthy. And I can’t stop thinking that Someone was watching over us. Someone “made” my son ask us to pick him up. Someone “made” us stop and fall a few feet behind where we should have been. And that Someone saved our lives.
Best Regards,
Simon
I re-read the email at least three times. It got me thinking: What was the miracle here? The most apparent miracle, was that G-d saved three lives. But the other miracle, the one we have to dig a bit deeper to find, is that Simon realized G-d saved his life.
It’s all too easy to go through the day-to-day of life without noticing G-d directing, protecting and nurturing us. We’re all guilty of it. But Simon’s email served as a wake up call to me; a reminder to open my eyes and look for G-d. And once I remembered to look, I found Him everywhere. He is there with us every moment of every day.
On Shabbat we will bless the new moon for the month of Nissan. Chassidic thought explains that the month of Nissan represents the super-natural. It is a month of miracles, a month of revelations, a month which represents the connection between G-d and the Jewish people. The miracles of the Pesach story remind us that G-d is constantly watching and protecting His people. We just need to open our eyes a little bit wider, and we’ll see it all around us.
*Names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.