An avreich from Yerushalyim relates: Before Sukkos I traveled to the U.S. Like many others, I wanted to come back, but then I heard that the sky had fallen upon all the people of Eretz Yisrael. The bloodbath in the South hit everyone with force, leaving them in shock and mourning. Plans were all thrown off track, and airlines canceled their flights to Israel; we didn’t know how we would return to our home.
The airline refused to reimburse us for the cancellation. The officials explained impatiently that the outbreak of a war is considered “an act of G-d,” and in such cases there are no reimbursements. People bought new tickets at exorbitant prices, but I and several of my friends tried to find a way to get home without spending so much money.
My originally scheduled flight had a stopover. I contacted a travel agent, who proposed switching that flight, which would cost several hundred dollars. I tried speaking with other agents, but whatever they had to offer would cost even more. They all asked us to add 300-400 dollars – a large sum of money that all of us would have a hard time paying.
While I was searching for phone numbers of people who might be able to help, one of my friends suggested, “Let’s say Mizmor l’sodah together,” and he began. He said the whole perek in a lively, happy way, and then I made one more phone call – which resulted in a perfect solution: The flight we had originally booked would be able to depart as planned. The route was changed a bit, but we would not need to pay anything at all for that change.
This is the power of Mizmor l’sodah. By saying it, we strengthen our emunah that everything comes from Hashem yisbarach, and even if it seems now that there are difficulties and complications, we discover that these too are part of the mercy and kindliness of the Creator of all worlds.
