The Holy Baal Shem Tov teaches, everything we see or hear,
is specifically intended as a message, for you, from G-d.
The Torah teaches, when a person sees an immoral woman,
he/she should take extra precautions, by minimizing his/her alcoholic
beverages.
The Jerusalem Talmud brings three stories to demonstrate
this lesson, drawn directly from the book of Isaiah. “If one hears talk around
them, (speaking to you), “this is the way to go (or not go)”, it is G-d telling
you something.”
Once Bar Kaparah came to a village and bashed his finger. As
he was composing himself, he heard children telling each other a certain verse
from the Bible. Bar Kapara immediately understood he would be unsuccessful,
turned around, and went back home.
Rabbi Yochonan and Shimon Ben Lakish were travelling to
Babylonia to visit a certain Rabbi Shmuel who wasn’t feeling well. They stopped
next to a school and heard the children learning about Shmuel the prophet,” who
died, was eulogized, and buried. Rabbi Yochonan says to Shimon Ben Lakish, “did
you hear what the children said? Shmuel is dead.”
Rabbi Shimon wasn’t convinced. Rabbi Yochonan said, “record
the time we are hearing this.” It wasn’t long afterwards, they heard Shmuel
passed away on that day.
R’ Yoseh and R’Yonah went to visit R’ Acha in Babylonia.
Again, they weren’t sure if they would make it there on time. “ G-d will
already tell us whether it’s worth going or not”. On their way they heard in a
village, one woman ask the other, “Did your candle go out yet?” And the other
answered,” It did not go out, and it will not go out, the candle of Israel.”
R’Yonah said. “If we heard these words, we have a reason to continue, since his
candle didn’t go out yet.”
Ilfa and R’ Yochonan decided to earn some money. They rested
in an abandoned home. As they are resting, R’ Yochonan hears two voices
speaking, “let’s throw the wall down and kill them”. One voice responds. “No.
One of them is yet to become a somebody.”
R’ Yochonan asked Ilfa,” did you hear the conversation?” And
Ilfa says, “No”. Said R’ Yochonan. “If only “I” heard the conversation, it must
mean, I am the one that is set for greatness.”
The Talmud goes on even further and says. Even “when one
overhears about world events, that too, are lessons for the one hearing.”
In the tractate of Kallah it tells a story with the great
Rabbi Akiva, who was once travelling in a village by a field and saw a man
carrying a heavy load and two people at either side hitting him. Rabbi Akiva
thought, there has to be something more to this and asked the man being hit,
“what’s the story?”
He tells Rabbi Akiva, he did all kinds of transgressions
while alive and this was his personal rectification. Rabbi Akiva asked him, did
he leave any children behind, and he says, only a pregnant wife. Rabbi Akiva
went to his city and asked for the wife and they said to him, why do you bother
with the wife of such a terrible person.
Rabbi Akiva found the pregnant wife and offered her to
personally take care of the child. After a few years and the child was able to
say Kaddish/sanctification of G-ds name in a synagogue, and Borchu, the man met
Rabbi Akiva and thanked him profusely for what he did.
Rabbi Akiva gave years of his precious time to the lad
because he knew, if G-d made him see the father suffering like that, it was a
message to him personally, to attend to the situation.
G-d is sending us messages all the time. We may need better,
stronger, hearing aids.
No comments:
Post a Comment