Rabbi David Ashear
Some stories have happy endings and some don’t. Results are never in our control; Hashem determines the best outcomes and acts accordingly. But what is under our control is our attitude and our reactions. If a person went through a challenging time and maintained his emunah and trust in Hashem, then it was a successful time, because he did his job to the best of his ability.
The sefer Emunah Sheleimah tells of a woman who waited many years to have a child. After countless tears and prayers and different medical procedures, she was finally blessed with a baby. Everyone was thrilled for her and her husband.
But the joy was short-lived; the baby was soon diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. A gathering was organized for community members to come together, hear inspirational speakers, and try to improve themselves in order to arouse the Heavens to heal the child.
The mother stood up to speak.
“When I heard this news,” she began, “I cried out, ‘Avraham Avinu was able to withstand all his tests, and he gave us the ability to do the same. Please, Hashem, help me with this!’
“I am in this position right now because it is the Will of Hashem and I accept it. What does that mean – ‘the Will of Hashem?’ His Will is perfect; He never made a mistake and never will. He calculates everything with precision, and He set this all up exactly the way it was supposed to happen. Who am I to fight it or to ask questions?
“Hashem, I accept this with love. Every morning in Birchot HaShachar – the Morning Blessings – we ask not to be tested. Not because tests aren’t good for us, but because we’re afraid we won’t pass them. But if a test was sent my way, it’s because You know, Hashem, this is what I need to fulfill my purpose here.”
“In this very dark time now, there are precious jewels here for the taking, by surmounting this test with emunah. When I came home after hearing the news, I kept saying to myself, I believe in Hashem with full emunah. And I started to think: What does that mean – full emunah? If I would complain and question Hashem, then I would only have partial emunah. It would mean, chalilah, that I don’t agree with His Will. Am I smarter than He is? Do I know what I need?”
“I accepted everything that was happening. And then I prayed from the depths of my heart. I said, ‘Hashem, I know this was necessary for me to experience, but please, going forward, heal my baby and let me have the joy of motherhood.’”
Accepting and praying are not contradictions. Acceptance has to do with what happened already, and prayer has to do with the future. The words of this woman were very powerful. Being able to understand in her most difficult time that Hashem was giving her exactly what she needed and accepting the challenge with love was not an easy task, but the rewards are great. Sefer Emunah Sheleimah didn’t print the outcome, because it wasn’t relevant. The woman did her part to the best of her ability; she faced her challenge with emunah, and that’s what counted. That elevated her, and she was successful, regardless of the outcome.