Living With Nobility

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Rabbi David Ashear

One who lives his life with emunah will automatically bring glory to Hashem. When others see the way he carries himself and lives his life with such serenity and nobility, they will see Gdliness. Avraham Avinu taught emunah to the world, and the people revered him, calling him “a prince of Hashem.” A person with emunah never loses himself or becomes upset regarding those things that normally upset others. He knows that everything is from Hashem, and that Hashem is always doing what is best for him, even when he doesn’t understand how.

A man told me he came into work one morning to find his business’ computer system was malfunctioning. He called a team of technicians, and their initial assessment was that all data was lost. The system contained everything; eight years’ worth of information had been wiped out. All the orders that were to be shipped over the next six months, all the records of businesses that owed him money and to which he owed, all the charges and credit: all were gone. The business was a mess. The owners had emunah and accepted the will of Hashem with joy. They carried on to the best of their ability, but the employees were anxious and complaining, wondering how to proceed without that data.

After four days, the technicians were able to solve the problem, and not one piece of information was missing. The office celebrated, and during the celebration one of the employees came over to the man and said, “Boss, we are awestruck by the way you handled the situation. You never lost your cool. We all couldn’t believe it. You are our role model for life.” This is a kiddush Hashem.

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An acquaintance of mine had a doctor’s appointment in Manhattan for a procedure that was to have taken most of the day. He took the day off, canceling all his meetings, and went to the doctor’s office. After one hour in the waiting room, he was finally taken in and he underwent a series of tests and preparatory procedures. He then had to wait for another hour, after which the doctor came out and said very apologetically, “I am so sorry, the machine I need for the procedure is broken. This has never happened to me in all my years as a doctor. I feel terrible, but we cannot do the procedure today. We’ll have to reschedule.”

The man understood that there are no accidents, that everything is caused by Hashem, and so he didn’t lose his cool. He said, “OK, we’ll reschedule.” The doctor could not believe how calmly the person responded. He was certain he would be furious, having wasted an entire day. This created a wonderful kiddush Hashem.

Emunah lends a person nobility. He knows Hashem is calling all the shots, there are no mistakes, everything happens precisely the way Hashem wants, and He only wants to do what is best for us. There are many people who have reasons to complain but they walk around with a smile, happy and content, and in so doing, they create a kiddush Hashem.

A student of the Hazon Ish owned a printing shop in Bnei Brak, and someone opened a similar shop nearby. Most people would be furious when this happens, but this man strengthened his emunah and repeatedly reminded himself that his livelihood comes only from Hashem. Hashem gives me my parnassah, he kept saying to himself, and I am not going to start a fight over this. He befriended his competitor, warmly welcoming him to the area and offering to help in any way he can.

The competitor couldn’t believe it. But those with emunah never compromise their dignity, and always remain calm and composed.

We must work toward developing our emunah so we respond properly to adverse situations, which will then bring glory to Hashem.