The Maharitz Dushinsky zt'l was once on a train (in chutz l'aretz), and a clean-shaven gentleman approached him and asked him whether he remembered him. Reb Dushinsky assumed that he was probably once his student, and indeed, it was so. This person told Reb Dushinsky that he owns a large store in Vienna. "What about shemiras Shabbos?" Reb Dushinsky asked. "Do you keep Shabbos?" "I don't keep Shabbos," he said, "but I want the rebbe to know that it didn't begin with Shabbos. It began when I became 'modern,' and I put on a short jacket. From there matters spiraled downwards, and I fell all the way down."
(Obviously, this was for a person who used to wear a long jacket, and that was the custom of his family. For him, putting on a short jacket meant a step down. But the lesson applies to all people, in their own situation and circumstance. Leaving and descending from the mesorah that one received from his parents and rebbes can have unimaginable consequences.)
The Maharitz Dushinsky told his former student that this is alluded to in the pasuk (Eichah 1:9) tum'atah bishuleha lo zachrah acharitah vateired nifla'im, "Her impurity is in her hems, she was heedless of her end. She has descended astonishingly..." Tum'atah bishuleha means the tumah begins when one begins to shorten the hems of his jacket. Lo zachrah acharitah, one doesn’t realize how low he might fall. Vateired nifla'im, until one falls astonishingly, r'l.
It states (Tehillim 147:8) hamechaseh shamayim be'avim hamechin la'aretz matar hamatzmiach harim chatzir, "Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who causes the mountains to sprout grass." When dark clouds are in the sky, representing hard times, rain is being prepared. Be aware that good will come from it.
Finding the Good Among the Troubles
We say in birkas hamazon, ka'avoteinu Avraham Yitzchak v'Yaakov she'nitberchu bakol mikol kol, that Hashem should bless the host, and all of us, bakol mikol kol, as our forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov were blessed. About Avraham it states (Bereishis 24:1) veHashem beirach et Avraham bakol, "Hashem blessed Avraham with everything." About Yitzchak it states (Bereishis 27:33) v'achal mikol, "I ate of everything," and about Yaakov Avinu it states in this week's parashah (33:11) yesh li kol, "I have everything."
If we delve into the words and learn about when these brachos were given to the Avos, we will notice that they were all given at a time of distress. When it states veHashem beirach et Avraham bakol, "Hashem blessed Avraham with everything," it was right after Sarah Imeinu was niftar, and it was before they were able to bring Yitzchak to his chuppah. Chazal tell us that Yitzchak was sitting and crying all this time over his mother's demise until he married Rivkah (see Bereishis 24:67, Siforno and Rashi). Furthermore, Avraham still had a son, a rasha, Yishmael, in his home. It doesn't seem like he had "everything". Yet, at this time, even under all these circumstances, it states veHashem beirach et Avraham bakol, "Hashem blessed Avraham with everything."
Regarding Yitzchak, the pasuk says v'achal mikol, "I ate from everything." This also wasn’t said at a joyous time for Yitzchak Avinu. At this time, he was very scared, as it states vayecherad charadah gedolah, "[Yitzchak] shuddered a great shudder", and he saw the opening of Gehinom opened before him (Bereishis Rabba 67:2). This was when he discovered the truth about his son, Eisav, whom he had so loved. And at that time, it states v'achal mikol, that he was blessed with "everything." Similarly, regarding Yaakov, when he met Eisav, he said yesh li kol, "I have everything.” This was at a time when Eisav wanted to kill him, together with his army of four hundred men. These don't seem to be the best scenarios. So why do we request in birchas hamazon that Hashem should bless us bakol mikol kol as He blessed the avos with these brachos? Why should we want such brachos that come with bitterness and hardship?
Some explain that these brachos were special since the Avos were able to recognize and say that they had everything, even when it seemed that they lacked so much. Their ability to focus on Hashem's kindness and believe that it was all good is a perfect brachah. When we request these brachos (of bakol mikol kol) in birkas hamazon, we call it berachah shleimah, a complete brachah. It is a complete brachah when one can recognize the good, even amidst the tzaros. We ask ken yevarech otanu b'berachah shleimah, so we should also have this outlook on life, to focus on the good and to believe that everything is for the good.
