Everything is Decreed from Shomayim
The following story is related by the Ben Ish Chai zt”l (Sefer Niflaim Masecha, Ois 107):
Reuven was the only wine seller in his city. He had 100 barrels full of wine in his warehouse. In his small city, this was more than enough for the entire town for a full year.
One day, a new wine merchant came to that city, bringing with him a hundred barrels of wine to sell. He hired two local men to position themselves in a public area and say out loud, “Poor Reuven! He has 100 barrels full of wine, and 30 of those barrels have turned into vinegar.”
Two days later, the two men returned to the same place where people were gathered and said, “Poor Reuven! Yesterday, 30 more of his barrels were found to be completely spoiled.”
After two more days, they returned to the same place, and said, “Poor Reuven! Today it was learned that all his remaining barrels have gone sour. He doesn’t have even a single barrel of good wine left!”
And the news spread throughout the city that all of Reuven’s wine had gone sour.
It was now an accepted fact amongst all the residents of the town that Reuven’s wine was no good. Since everyone was saying this, his wine did indeed become vinegar, as the words that we speak have the power to change the reality. Reuven was now unable to sell any of his spoiled wine, and the newcomer was sure that he would now have a monopoly.
However, Hashem helped Reuven in a miraculous way. No, He didn’t transform his vinegar back into wine. Rather, He sent upon the people of the city a disease of increased the amount of blood in their skin. The ailment turned their as skin red as blood and was very uncomfortable. They were forced to rub themselves a lot, and the blood increased even more due to the friction. The doctors diagnosed that the only cure was to bathe in strong vinegar made from grapes, and that this medicine must be applied right away. Since Reuven was the only one who had this product on-hand, they all had to buy vinegar from him. He sold the vinegar for a large profit and became wealthier than he had ever been.
We see from this story that everything is decreed from Shomayim. Therefore, one hurt or cause any damage to anyone else, no matter how hard he tries. One who attempts to do this is simply wasting his time and energy, as Hashem’s decree will always be fulfilled.
