with you right here, right now! There’s only one question: is the light on or off? The light is here in any case—the question is whether it will be revealed for you.
The rule of the world is that when we’re מעשרה למטה, we must be the ones to illuminate that place. The Ribbono Shel Olam is here and He wants to reveal Himself but only after you put in the work on your end, only after you have ignited the flame.
When Hashem Prepared the Rolls
The more a Yid lives this way—insisting on illuminating even in the darkness—the more he will merit to see the Ribbono Shel Olam’s hand, and he will automatically become joyful and uplifted. In fact, it’s the sweetest pleasure when we encounter the Ribbono Shel Olam specifically in the deepest darkness.
A Yid related that he goes to the bakery every erev Shabbos to pick up 100 rolls for his shul’s melaveh malkah. One week, he came very late, and there was nothing left. Since he was a good customer, the proprietor said to him: “I have 120 rolls sitting in the freezer. It’ll take 20 minutes for me to bake them. For you, I’ll do it right away.” Returning to his car with the warm rolls in tow, he spied a harried woman coming to the bakery beside herself as she saw it was closed.
“I just got an unexpected group of guests, and I desperately need challah to feed them,” she said aloud.
“How many do you need?” asked the Yid. “Is twenty enough?” She took them and thanked him profusely.
Revelation Elevates
Leaving the establishment, the Yid reflected on what happened here. The bakery should have been closed already, but the Ribbono Shel Olam didn’t forget this woman who needed challos for her guests, and He provided them fresh out of the oven, right when she arrived!
