The second half of Shragi’s Yom Tov was unlike the first, as one little thing had changed everything. Drastically.
On Chol Hamoed, young Shragi was enjoying the beach with his family when a big wave arose and swept away his glasses. B”H, the sudden wave hadn’t endangered anyone, but Shragi’s glasses went missing. The 11-year-old checked his surroundings but couldn’t see anything. Other than the shapes of big objects, he couldn’t see much, so to find a pair of glasses tucked in at the beach would be quite a challenge.
When his father caught on to the situation, he released a tefillah that Hashem help them find the glasses. The other children then set out on a scavenger hunt to disclose the missing glasses, but nothing brought them closer to finding them.
10 minutes into the hunt, and they were still in the dark. They continued looking everywhere, with the knowledge that Hashem could make them appear from anywhere though the chances were slim.
After looking for a whole half-an-hour, Shragi’s father called everyone and told them to cease the search. “We’ve done all that we could do,” he said. “Harbei shluchim l’Makom — Hashem has many messengers. At the right time, the glasses will appear. Leave it to Him.” Meanwhile, Shragi sat on the side while the siblings continued enjoying their simchas Yom Tov at the beach, and then they returned home.
Not being able to wear his glasses left Shragi with some disturbing headaches, but on Yom Tov, there was nothing to do. All the stores were closed. Shragi made the best of it and didn’t utter a sound of complaint.
On the first day of the new z’man, Shragi’s father was happy to see a paper pinned to the bulletin board of the Yeshivah, stating that a pair of eyeglasses were found at the beach, and that whoever might have lost them should reach out with simanim.
Shragi’s father went to the phone and dialed the number. After exchanging details, they realized that it was a strike. Shragi’s glasses were found!
“So where do you live?” asked Shragi’s father.
“Don’t you recognize my voice?” asked the finder. “I’m your downstairs neighbor. On Isru Chag, I went to the beach with my little child, and I found the stick of a pair of glasses protruding from the sand. The pair were Yiddish-looking, so I figured that I would give it a try in the hope of locating the owner. I knew that the Lakewood Yeshivah was my best shot. Today was my first opportunity, so I placed a sign in the Yeshivah, and I’m glad to have it return to its owner’s hands once again.”
Shragi’s chances of finding his glasses were slim — or very slim — yet leaving it up to Hashem connected him to a Greater Power, and he saw miraculous results. Shragi’s father now witnessed his own words, “At the right time, they’ll come back.” They’d been sitting in his basement for over a week, yet when the right time came, the glasses went right back onto Shragi’s face.
Leave nothing past Hashem. At the right time, the yeshua might be right in front of you.
