Calling Out to Hashem
It states (22:7) אבי ויאמר אביו אברהם אל יצחק ויאמר, "Yitzchak spoke to Avraham, his father, and he said, 'Father.'" The Divrei Yisrael zt'l teaches, "When Yitzchak called out to his father אבי, and Avraham replied בני הנני, 'Here I am, my son,' this made an impression in heaven, for all generations. Whenever a Yid cries out to his father in heaven and says אבי, 'Father!' from the depths of his heart, it will arouse Hashem's immense compassion, and Hashem will reply, בני הנני, 'Here I am, my son, ready and prepared to answer all your requests.'"
Stories of Tefillah and Salvation
Reb Avrahamele was a stone cutter in Yerushalayim. His parnassah was to smoothen the edges of stones used for construction. Once, a heavy stone fell on Reb Avrahamele's legs, seriously injuring them. The doctors of his time in Yerushalayim weren't able to treat him, so they advised him to travel to Vienna. But he didn't have money for the trip or medical bills. Reb Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld spoke to gabbai tzedakah in Yerushalayim and asked them to raise money for Reb Avrahamele. The gabaim managed to raise enough money to pay for the ship to Vienna, but not more than that. Reb Avrahamele traveled to Vienna, trusting that Hashem would help him come up with the money needed for his treatments.
In Vienna, he looked for someone he knew, someone who could help him, but didn't find anyone. Reb Avrahamele sat down and cried bitterly. A person passed by and asked him why he was crying. Reb Avrahamele replied that he had arrived from Yerushalayim to cure his legs, but he didn’t have money to pay the doctors. He went to hospitals, but no one agreed to treat him without payment. The man immediately wrote some lines on a piece of paper and said, "Go to the best hospital in Vienna and give them this paper; they will treat your legs." Reb Avrahemele, who didn’t speak the language, had no idea what was written on the paper, but he sensed that somehow, Hashem had just answered his tefillos. He went to the best hospital in Vienna, and they immediately treated him with the greatest honor. That same day, they operated on his legs, and they were completely cured. He received the best treatment. They kept him in the hospital until he was totally healed. When he was ready to leave, he asked what was written on the paper. They told him, "The person who gave you the paper was Franz Josef, the emperor of Austria. For some reason, he took pity on you and commanded us to care for you as if you were his own, precious son."
Reb Avrahemele returned to Yerushalayim, where everyone was happy to see him healthy and well, walking on his own two feet. But Reb Avrahamele, himself, was slightly sad. Reb Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld asked him why he wasn’t happy. Reb Avrahamele replied, "For some reason, Franc Josef had compassion on me and wrote a letter to the hospital to take good care of me. However, I am upset that I missed an opportunity to ask Franz Josef for more help. If I already found favor in his eyes, I could have asked him to cover all my debts. I could have asked for so much more."
My brothers and friends, when we find favor in Hashem's eyes, let us ask Him all of our needs, and Hashem will give us everything we need with great abundance.
Trusting Only in Hashem
The Rebbe of Toldos Aharon zt'l was once swimming in the sea for health reasons. Suddenly, a strong current pulled him deep into the sea, distant from the shore. His life was in danger. With Hashem's miracles, he was saved. He told his grandson, Reb Asher Anshil HaKohen Katz Shlita, "What do you think I did at that time, when my life was in danger? Do you think I said viduy? Perhaps you think I shouted Shema Yisrael? Not at all. I shouted with all my strength, 'Tatte! Father! Only You can help me. Save me!' And then an undercurrent wave pushed me to the shore."
When one davens, he should feel that no one can help him except Hashem alone. Reb Shimshon Pincus (Sha'arim b'Tefillah p.96) teaches that when a person davens with that thought in mind, Hashem will certainly answer his tefillos. But when he thinks he can be helped in other ways, keviyachol, Hashem doesn't feel the need to take full care of this person. He is looking to others to help him, so Hashem says let them try to help.
This can be compared to when a poor man comes to a wealthy person for help, and the wealthy person understands that the poor man doesn't have anyone else to go to other than him. He will likely help him. But when the wealthy person knows that the poor person plans to go to many people for financial help, he thinks, "I will help him a drop, but why should I help more than that? He is going to many people. Let them help him." The same occurs when one comes to tefillah, feeling that others can help him other than Hashem. If he thinks so, Hashem can say, "Let them help him." But when one knows that no one can help him but Hashem, Himself, Hashem will certainly help him.
