Rabbi David Ashear
In life, it’s Hashem Himself giving the tests, and Hashem Himself observing how we react.
The Sefer Emunah Sheleimah tells of a man named Naftali who was trying out for a position as a teacher of children who needed a little extra attention. He prepared for hours, finding just the right subject matter to keep their attention and make an interesting presentation.
The day of the model lesson arrived. At the school, the principal introduced him to the class, then sat in the back of the room, observing.
Naftali started the lesson with a smile and a pleasant demeanor, but two minutes in, one of the boys started making noises with his chair. Then he stood up and moved his chair back and forth, clearly attempting to disrupt the class.
Naftali could be short-tempered, but he knew this was a test and he was being watched. He calmly went over to the boy, took the chair, and said, “Come, tzaddik, I see this chair isn’t good for you. Let me give you a better one so you could enjoy the class with everyone else.” The student sat down quietly and the principal was impressed.
Naftali proceeded to give the lesson and then asked several questions. But the boys’ answers had nothing to do with what he had asked, in what was clearly another attempt to derail his class. As he contemplated how to get back on track, a paper airplane landed on his desk and the boys burst out in giggles.
Now what? Naftali had prepared diligently, but he realized that his planned lesson was not going to be appreciated. You’re being tested, he reminded himself. Stay calm.
He picked up the paper airplane and smiled. “Chazal tell us that the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah received the text of the Baruch She’amar prayer from a note that fell from Heaven. I see that I also just received a note; maybe it was also from Shamayim.”
The students laughed and quieted down. Again, the principal was very impressed.
At the end of the model lesson, the principal brought Naftali into his office. “We have had numerous candidates,” he said, “including some very good teachers, but no one had the patience you displayed. We’re offering you the position.”
It was the sabotaging of all his hard work that enabled Naftali to prove who he was capable of being.
Life is like a model lesson. We prepare and hope things will go according to plan, but very often they don’t, and we’re confronted with adversity. During those times, we have to remind ourselves that it’s a test to bring out the best in us.
In life, it’s Hashem Himself giving the tests, and Hashem Himself observing how we react. Every time something happens that could upset us, we’re being tested. The contentious neighbor who we think is our biggest problem was sent to test us, to try our patience, to see how well we have been working on our character. The party we weren’t invited to, the friend who forgot to pick us up, the person who was late to the meeting and made us wait – they are what enable us to become great, to overcome our natural reactions, and respond the way Hashem wants us to respond.
This is what impresses the Boss and causes Him to say, so to speak, “Job well done.” We all experience situations that threaten to aggravate us. We must always remind ourselves that we’re being tested. It’s all planned by Hashem. And the harder it is overcome, the greater the potential reward.