The first miracle described in Sefer Shemos is the rescue of the baby Moshe from the Nile River. Contained in this story is a powerful life lesson for us all.
An Egyptian princess walking along a river bank sees a basket floating on the water, far away from her. She reaches out her hand and, miraculously, it extends and lengthens until she succeeds in grasping the basket and drawing it toward her. When we give this some more thought, we realize how strange it is; why did she even try? After all, she had no reason to believe that a miracle would be performed for her.
R’ Yitzchak of Vorka explains that while this nes was necessary to save the life of Moshe Rabbeinu, it was also necessary for each one of us in our own lives. What Hashem is telling us here is that if we really want something so badly, then even though logically it seems unobtainable, our intense desire makes it seem within our reach and when we do what we can and just stretch out our hands, Hashem will fill in the rest.
We all face seemingly impossible situations in our own lives, from smaller challenges to the momentous ones. On paper, certain things can seem impossible; in practice, we know that Hashem helps and the impossible happens. When we really, truly want to do ratzon Hashem and put in the effort we are able to — no matter how small it may appear — we receive the necessary siyatta diShmaya. Getting married and building families are tremendous undertakings and can only be accomplished with help from Above.
If we see the responsibilities as too much to handle, we may despair and stop short. That’s what happens when we forget that the outcome is in Hashem’s hands and that He wants us to succeed even more than we want success for ourselves. It’s a shame to give up and let stunning achievements slip through our fingers when it’s all there just waiting for us to really want it and aim for it. We just have to try.
