A dear Yid who went through a complex tzarah spoke with such sincerity and sweetness: What strengthens me so much, he said, is what I recently heard from a relative. It was a deep and life-transforming insight. This is what he told me:
Recently, I underwent surgery with local anesthesia. This was a decidedly unpleasant experience. I was lying in the operating room, tied to the bed, with all the paraphernalia surrounding me. Various people stood around my body, each holding some sort of instrument. Each one in turn came over, poked around and prodded and moved things. I couldn’t exactly see what they were doing, but I could hear the sounds and see their eyes peering over the masks covering their noses and mouths.
They were very focused. It looked like they dealing with some sort of instrument or machine and repairing it. I felt like getting up and showing them that I too am a person, with an opinion of my own. In fact, I wanted to shout at them to leave me alone; but I didn’t do any of this. Why? Because I myself had checked everything out and investigated about which hospital and which doctor it would be best to use. I was the one who had requested the surgery and asked to be healed in this way.
I knew that the surgeon and his assistants were people who were here for my good. They wanted me to come out of there healthy and whole. Imagine – I had even paid them to do this to me! So what should I do? Would I get up now and run away?
During those moments, I suddenly understood the significance of that key statement, “Everything the All-Merciful One does is good for us.” Hakadosh Baruch Hu is the greatest Doctor, and everything He does is what is best for us, both materially and spiritually. Sometimes we see all kinds of events and complex challenges that hurt so much – literally like cutting into living flesh. And despite this, we meet people whose emunah is firm and unwavering. Again and again they say, “Everything is for the best!” This stems from the simple faith that indeed, yes, without doubt, this entire life is a process of healing and repair for them.
Although we do not understand the processes, we do not know exactly how all the pain and difficulties are for our benefit, our emunah fills in where the intellect ends, and then, indeed, we can say wholeheartedly: Everything is for the best!
May we be zocheh to see revealed chassadim, refuos and yeshuos!
Gut Shabbat
Pinchas Shefer
