Seeing Hashem in Everything—Even a Dog Attack

In one of his heartfelt sermons, the late Rabbi Yaakov Galinski shared a powerful story about one of the great spiritual leaders of the Novardok mussar movement—a movement devoted to strengthening one’s character and deep connection to Hashem—Rabbi David Budnik. “Who am I to fully describe the depth of his conduct and the strength of his devotion to Hashem,” Rabbi Galinski began. “But I will try to share a small glimpse.”

“One day, Rabbi David went for a walk in the forest. His mind was completely immersed in Torah. He didn’t even notice the huge dog coming toward him, roaring with rage. In just a moment, the wild and hungry animal jumped at him. Its sharp teeth gleamed with aggression. Before Rabbi David could react, the dog had already bitten deep into his flesh, and he collapsed, bleeding and unconscious.”

“When he regained consciousness, his friends gathered around and asked him, ‘David, David! Is this what they taught in Novardok? To faint because of a dog?’”

Rabbi David looked at them with holy passion and answered, “Do you really think I fainted because of the dog? There was no dog. What you saw was the word of Hashem—expressed in the form of a dog. Hashem had decreed that the dog should go and bite ‘David son of Chaya,’ and the dog, loyal to its Creator’s command, obeyed and came straight to carry out the mission.”

“When I looked into the eyes of that wild animal, eyes burning with hunger and intensity, I saw something deeper,” Rabbi David explained. “I saw its total dedication. Its whole being was focused on doing exactly what Hashem had instructed it to do. And then I thought to myself: David, look at this dog. Look at how it fulfills the will of Hashem—with complete eagerness, total focus, with every fiber of its being.

“Have you ever said Shema Yisrael with that kind of intensity? Have you ever learned Torah with the same passion that this animal is now using to fulfill Hashem’s command? It’s not even commanded to love Hashem or fear Him, yet look at how perfectly it follows Hashem’s will!”

“From the pain and heartbreak of realizing how far I was from such complete devotion, I fainted,” Rabbi David said.

Rabbi Yaakov Galinski, touched by the story, said: “This is the kind of strong connection to Hashem they taught in Novardok.”

From the book Rabbi Yaakov Says, stories and teachings from the Gaon Rabbi Yaakov Galinski z”l.