My daughter, a young girl who is full of life, was playing, when she fell. This happens so many times, and baruch Hashem, just as we fall, we get up; but this time it was different. She fell and ended up in intensive care, and the situation was really unclear. There were problems with her liver function and with her heart, and we needed rachamei Shamayim.
In the meantime, she slept and slept, and we were beside ourselves with fear and worry.
One day, when I came home from the hospital after being with my daughter, I was in so much pain. It was not only her situation and the difficult challenge Hashem had sent her. It was something else. There was someone there who had treated me horribly. He spoke in a condescending tone and yelled at me about my lack of responsibility as a father, as though I was to blame for the situation. He threw an additional few pearls my way and then left me, sighing.
I had to pull myself together in order to travel home. With a heavy heart, I traveled and davened to Hashem to watch over me on the way. And indeed, Hashem sent me a good messenger: A friend called and asked how I was doing and how my daughter was. He spoke so pleasantly and returned life to my dry bones.
I wanted to tell him about what had happened to me, but then I said to myself: It’s lashon hara! I bit my lip hard and continued to chat with him. I told myself in my heart: Ribbono shel Olam, You know how hard it is for me to keep my mouth closed now. Please have pity on me and, measure for measure, as I am closing my mouth from speaking lashon hara, please open the mouth of my dear daughter and bring her back to health and to leading a normal life.
When the phone call was over, I felt uplifted. I had been zocheh to withstand the nisayon.
A quarter of an hour later, my wife called me from the hospital. And what did she tell me? Our daughter had burst out crying!
Yes, she woke up and started to cry. It was an open miracle!
Baruch Hashem, after that she underwent a process of rehabilitation that wasn’t simple, but today she is healthy.
Such is the power of overcoming an urge to speak and of guarding one’s tongue.
