A couple complained to their rebbe that they were “delayed and stuck somewhere” for Yom Tov. He assured them, “A Jew is never stuck. A Jew is sent. Wherever you are — you have been sent there. Wherever a Jew is, he is where he is supposed to be.”
As the Gemara states, our footsteps are Divinely guided. We’re led to where we’re summoned. Every situation, every encounter, is masterfully orchestrated by Hashem for a purpose. We were put in that place, along with the people who are there with us, for a reason.
Her Seatmate on the Plane was a Non-Jewish Woman
Hashgachah Pratis: Dovid Gross was a teenaged boy who was enrolled in a summer camp in Cleveland. Unfortunately, he ended up in a hospital bed, miles from his home, suffering from ulcerative colitis. Feeling nervous, Dovid’s mother, Leah, went to see him. She sat down on the plane next to her seatmate, a non-Jewish middle-aged woman, Abbey.
Uncharacteristically, Leah opened up to a total stranger. “I’m on my way to see my teenage son, who was just diagnosed with an acute case of ulcerative colitis,” she said.
A Nurse Working for a Doctor Specializing in Ulceratie Colitis
Abbey’s mouth dropped open. “You will never believe it, but I am a nurse practitioner for a doctor who specializes in ulcerative colitis. I see patients with this disease every day,” she told Leah. Leah was stunned. They spent the rest of the flight with Leah asking questions and Abbey walking her through the treatment options. Most of all, she stressed that ulcerative colitis is a chronic illness, but she had seen many patients recover and go on to lead healthy lives.
Just before the plane arrived in Cleveland, Leah asked Abbey, “How did you end up on this flight?” Abbey smiled. “I wasn’t even supposed to be on this flight. I worked in the Cleveland Clinic for years and I was going back to visit my family in Cleveland for the weekend. However, my mother wasn’t feeling well, so I re scheduled my ticket for today.
Normally the Nurse Doesn’t Chat with People on Plane Flights
“More surprising, I hardly ever chat with people on a flight. I usually catch up on my sleep. But when I sat down next to you, you kind of looked stressed out, so I thought I would just try to calm you down a bit.”
Before the two women went their separate ways, Leah thanked Abbey and said a special thanks to Hashem for sending a nurse out of nowhere to calm her and give her vital information. As she got into her rented car, Leah began to cry — no longer tears of fear, but tears of thanks and connection to Hashem.
“Thank You, Hashem,” she said. “Thank You for reminding me that I am never alone.”
Even in the face of death, we can find Hashgachah Pratis. The Midrash explains that one might die away from home not by chance, but because his death will perhaps strengthen the faith of those in that town. Whatever the reason, Hashem creates the circumstances for that to occur.
“A Person’s Feet Are His Guarantors
Hashgachah Pratis: Rav Avrohom Pam shared his personal experience when his mother passed away while his Rebbetzin was in Lakewood for the birth of a grandchild. It was unusual that she did not return home the same day she went to Lakewood. Although some speculated that emergency room delays had caused his mother’s death and that Rebbetzin Pam’s presence may have helped to speed things up, Rav Pam found solace in knowing that it was predestined, a manifestation of the Gemara’s wisdom:
“A person’s feet are his guarantors; to where he is summoned, there they lead him.” In each of life’s journeys, we can find reassurance in the knowledge that we’re never lost, but are guided by Hashem. Each twist, each turn, is a chance for a loving connection, an opportunity for spiritual growth, and a manifestation of Hashem’s plan.
Reprinted from the Parshas Pekudei 5784 edition of At the ArtScroll Shabbos Table. Excerpted from the ArtScroll book -- Living with Hashgachah Pratis by Rabbi Heshy Kleinman.
