They Show Us the Way
Stories of tzaddikim who lived with emunah and bitachon
No Evil Descends from on High
What did Reb Feivush of Berzan zy"a speak about in his beis midrash, in a voice choked with tears, on the night of Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur, 5627. Silence descended upon the congregation as hundreds of Jews clothed in white, their faces reflecting awe and seriousness, stood crowded in the main beis midrash in Berzan. The final strains of Kol Nidrei seemed to reverberate in the air as the setting sun colored the sky above the town in crimson shades of orange. The mispallelim kissed the sifrei Torah reverently as they were taken back to the aron kodesh.
The shul was silent as the holy Rebbe, Reb Meshulem Shraga Feivush, the Sfas Emes, walked up to the bimah to speak. To the surprise of the entire congregation, no words emerged from his mouth at first. The Sfas Emes began to cry, the sounds of his sobs filling the interior of the shul.
"There are two types of circumstances whereby a person needs to thank Hashem," he began. "One is when brachah comes his way, such as honor, wealth, or a simchah in his home."
Once again, the Rebbe was overcome with emotion, and he cried. Tears streamed from his pure eyes, eyes that could see beyond the present. "There are other times when we need to thank Hashem as well," he continued. "Sometimes Hashem brings a person to a situation in which he needs to thank Him for the bad! Hashem grants him the privilege of sitting in darkness and concealment, in pain. And then, too, the person blesses Hashem! The truth is that no evil descends from on High, and everything Hashem does is good."
"It is our obligation," he continued, his voice firmer now, "to strengthen our emunah in times of misfortune, to the point that we bless Hashem just as we would in times of simchah. Even when someone experiences the terrible misfortune of losing a child, he needs to remember that Hashem is full of mercy, that He is the Ruler and Creator of the world, and that everything He does is good."
Cryptically, the Rebbe concluded, "Please, Hashem, we can take one blow, but for two, we haven't the strength!"
Every heart trembled upon hearing the Rebbe's words, words that seemed to foretell misfortune. That Yom Kippur, the tefillos were recited with a sense of palpable fear and urgency.
Less than three months later, on the first day of Chanukah, the Rebbe's two sons Reb Leibush and the bachur Yeshaya Asher were stricken with a dangerous illness. On the eighth of Teves, following two weeks of intense suffering, the young Yeshaya Asher returned his pure soul to Hashem. Throughout that time, the Sfas Emes continually strengthened himself in pure faith in Hashem. He repeated again and again that this decree came from Hashem and that we have no permission to question it. Everything Hashem does is for the good.
His fiery words, spoken in a tear-choked voice before the entire community on Yom Kippur, echoed in the hearts of his chassidim. Now it was clear what the Rebbe had foreseen on Yom Kippur night. The Rebbe's staunch emunah never wavered as he buried his beloved son and sat shivah for him. He was a living model of the words he'd spoken, words that he ingrained in the hearts of all who were there that, indeed, no evil descends from on High. Everything comes from Hashem. Everything is for the best.
In the midst of this painful tragedy, the Rebbe also merited to see the openly miraculous and loving Hand of Hashem. His son Reb Leibush recovered fully and lived on for many years. The Rebbe's tear-filled request of Hashem to spare him the "second blow," made on that Yom Kippur night in Berzan, was fulfilled.