Let us begin with an amazing story of hashgachah pratis, kiruv, and hatzalas nefashos: A Yid from Nir Oz (a settlement near Gaza) was standing on the side of the road next to his stalled car. A religious Yid noticed him and stopped to ask him if he needed help. The man from Nir Oz replied that he had run out of gas and had been waiting an hour and a half for someone to stop and help him.
"I have a container with me," the religious Jew told him. "I will fill it with gas at the gas station, which isn't far from here, and bring you the gas." Soon afterward, he returned with the gas, and the man from Nir Oz wanted to pay him. The religious Yid refused. "This was my mitzvah; I am not selling it."
The grateful man from Nir Oz exclaimed, "I am irreligious, and I heard many negative things about the religious community. But now, I am getting an entirely different perspective!" Before Shabbos, the religious Jew called the man from Nir Oz to wish him "Gut Shabbos." This went on for some time; the religious Yid would call him on erev Shabbos, and sometimes, he would invite him to come to his home for Shabbos.
(He lived in Givatayim, near Bnei Brak.) Finally, the non-religious man accepted the offer and agreed to come with his family for Simchas Torah. He said that he heard from his friends in Nir Oz that Simchas Torah is a good time to spend among the religious; there is dancing, candies are thrown, and canopies of taleisim are spread, etc.
Generally, this religious Yid went to his father's home for Simchas Torah, but he made an exception this time. He was presented with the opportunity to do kiruv, and he didn't want to miss it. His father, who lives in Sderot (a city near Gaza), agreed that his son should stay home and host this man from Nir Oz and even decided to join them for Simchas Torah to participate in the mitzvah.
Simchas Torah, a warning siren was heard in the morning, and everyone was afraid. The family from Nir Oz almost laughed at them, because where they lived, sirens are a common occurrence throughout the year. The Jews in Givatayim didn't hear the news of what actually happened that Simchas Torah until motzei Simchas Torah. When the non-religious man turned on his phone after Simchas Torah, he discovered the tragedy that occurred. With tears, he came to his host and said, "My life and the lives of my family, and also your parents' lives, and your family's lives, were saved in the zechus of the Simchas Torah we celebrated together in Givatayim. You and your parents weren't in Sderot for Simchas Torah, and we weren't in Nir Oz. Our lives were saved through hashgachah pratis, which all began with a gasoline can!"
The lesson is that Hashem leads the world with hashgachah pratis, and weaves detailed and precise plans of how, where, and when events will occur.
Hashem’s Plan Will Always Occur
A person can plan and do his best hishtadlus, but Hashem’s will ultimately prevail. It is impossible to outsmart Hashem, and to accomplish something that isn't part of His plan.
Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaRambam writes (in his commentary on the Torah) that Yaakov Avinu knew that his sons harbored animosity towards Yosef. Therefore, he was careful not to leave Yosef alone with his brothers. However, when the time came for Yosef to be sold to Mitzrayim, Yaakov sent Yosef directly to his brothers, as it states (Bereishis 37:13) לכה בשכם רעים אחיך הלוא יוסף אל ישראל ויאמר אליהם ואשלחך, "Yisrael said to Yosef, 'Are your brothers not pasturing in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.'" It was time for Yosef to be sold to Mitzrayim, and Hashem's plan to transpire.
Rashi writes, "[Yosef] went with alacrity to fulfill his father’s command, although he knew that his brothers hated him." He didn't find his brothers in Shechem, but he met a person in Shechem who directed Yosef to his brothers (see 37:15-17). The Ramban writes, "This tells us that Hashem's decree is truth, and all hishtadlus is false. Hashem prepared someone to direct Yosef to go to his brothers. As Chazal (Bereishis Rabba 84:14) say, this man was a malach. This story isn't written for no purpose, but to let us know that Hashem's plan will occur." Yosef had to meet his brothers. If the brothers weren't in Shechem, Hashem prepared a way to let Yosef know where to find them because Hashem's plan that Yosef be sold to Mitzrayim had to occur.
