On September 6, 1970, Trans World Airlines Flight 741, en route from Tel Aviv to New York City, was hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The terrorists forced the plane to land in Jordan. While the majority of the 310 passengers were eventually transferred to Amman and released on September 11, 56 Jewish passengers were separated and held hostage.
It was not until more than three weeks later, on September 30, that the Jewish hostages were finally freed.
Among them was Rebbetzin Harari-Raful, who, throughout the ordeal, remained notably calm and became a source of inspiration and strength for the others. At one point, someone asked her how she had managed to stay so composed during those three harrowing weeks, facing the constant threat of death, with a gun pointed at her.
“Whenever I felt panic beginning to rise in my throat,” she replied, “I would ask one of the terrorists for a glass of water. And when he handed it to me, I would take the cup and recite the blessing with all the energy and focus I could muster: “Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech Ha’olam, Shehakol Nihyah Bidvaro—Blessed are You, Hashem, King of the universe, by Whose word everything comes into being.”
When I reached the word hakol—'everything’—I concentrated with all my heart. Everything—even this terrifying moment—is coming from G-d. Shehakol nihyah bidvaro—it all exists by His word."
That truth gave me the strength to carry on.
Look around you. Everything is the word of G-d. There is nothing else. Every challenge you face—every difficulty, every moment of fear or confusion—has been sent directly by G-d. We, the Jewish people, do not believe in dualism. We do not believe in competing powers. We do not believe that the evil inclination is some autonomous force. Nothing operates independently. Nothing exists outside of His will. If it’s in front of you, it’s because G-d placed it there.
The Mesillas Yesharim teaches that one of the very few reasons for our existence in this world is to endure and overcome tests. Life’s challenges—whether in the heart of Manhattan, in your neighborhood kosher supermarket, or behind your desk—are all bidvaro, by His word.
Today, our tests may not always come about in dangerous places. Sometimes the most significant test is right here, in the quiet routines of our daily lives. But when we internalize that each and every test is sent from G-d Himself, in His infinite love, to draw us closer to Him, how much easier it becomes to respond with strength. And even more than that, how much more meaningful.
Shehakol nihyah bidvaro. Everything comes into being by His word.
