Paths of Faith: The Accident That Revealed the Growth

Every person can recount an instance where "darkness was the cause of light." Health is good, and illness is bad – that's what we know. But ask someone who caught a cold and therefore didn't take their regular bus to work, escaping a terror attack, and they'll assure you the illness was actually a good thing...

During World War I, people amputated their fingers to avoid being drafted into the army and dying in war, or being forced to desecrate Shabbat and be redeemed with treif. For them, it was better to be maimed than to face danger to their lives and souls.

There is a story about Napoleon who wanted to conquer a city, but it was fortified and its inhabitants fought him with all their might. He laid siege to the city and after some time wanted to know the morale of the residents and if the time was right to attack. He had the idea to disguise himself as a simple man and infiltrate the city to "take the pulse" and see if an attack was feasible. He entered with his officer and they sat in a tavern – a place with a lot of movement and where one could gauge the mood of the people. Suddenly, someone recognized him and shouted: This is Napoleon! Silence ensued, and all eyes turned towards the two strangers. At that moment, the officer spilled the wine glass, then stood up and smacked Napoleon on the cheek while shouting at him: You fool! Look what you've done! People looked at each other and said: No, that's not Napoleon. It can't be. After all, the other man slapped him – it's clear he's just a simple servant. After they left the place and returned safely to the camp, the officer fell to his knees and pleaded for his ruler's forgiveness. Napoleon took his hand and raised him to his feet, saying: With this, I appoint you as a deputy ruler – your slap saved my life!

Regarding the sale of Joseph, the "Ohr HaChaim" asks: How is it possible that Joseph was sold to Egypt when he went to carry out the mitzvah of his father to see the peace of his brothers? After all, those on a mitzvah mission are not harmed. It should be said that harm that ultimately results in great good and elevation is not considered harm.

That is, sometimes it seems to a person that harm has occurred, but it actually turns out for the good. Specifically through the sale, Joseph became a deputy ruler and was the emissary to save his entire father's house from famine.

A large family from Safed, struggling with financial difficulties, went on a vacation for the first time in their history. The father's brother married off one of the children and invited his entire family for a Shabbat chattan. They decided to make the effort and go. They rented a van for the whole family and traveled joyfully. On the descent from Safed, the van veered off course and fell to the side of the road. The children escaped with minor injuries, but the father was seriously injured in the head and was taken to the hospital for urgent brain surgery. After hours of complex surgery, the professor came out to the mother who was waiting anxiously and said: You had a great miracle!

What miracle? wondered the woman. We went on vacation and ended up in the hospital. We've never left the house, and now that we finally had a chance to celebrate with the family and children, we find ourselves spending Shabbat in the hospital in intensive care.

The professor heard and reiterated his words: Yes, a great miracle! The CT scan revealed a growth in his head that had already spread towards the brain stem. Because of the accident, he only got a mild and non-dangerous concussion. However, if we hadn't discovered the growth now – in two weeks you would no longer have a husband!

We do not see correctly, because what seems bad to us is actually for our benefit. And what seems good to us might be bad.

Even if it seems to us that there's a "wicked person with good fortune" – who says they truly have it good?

We don't know what's good for us.

A young and lazy child did not want to study; he ran away from school daily, wandered and spent his time enjoyably, collected beetles, and chased after cats and dogs. It seemed to him and his friends that no one was happier than he. Only the adults around him knew he was paying dearly for it: he would grow up illiterate and ignorant, lacking the tools to succeed in life.

A sixteen-year-old girl discovers that chocolate lifts her spirits and helps her study for exams, and she becomes addicted, until at fifty she feels unwell and her blood tests reveal she has diabetes. The chocolate that seemed good for her turned out to be harmful in the long term. In contrast, a girl who at sixteen suffers from stomach aches and the doctor tells her to try cutting out sugar from her diet feels it's the end of the world—that she won't be able to eat cookies or enjoy sweets. But by fifty she discovers that compared to her friends whose bodies have weakened, she is healthy and functioning perfectly.

Similarly, someone living on the fourth floor without an elevator complains it's difficult, but from the daily effort, her muscles remain in shape, her lungs become stronger, and at sixty she functions like a young woman.

Sometimes we are like children with insufficient concepts; their perspective is limited; they view things pointwise and lack the comprehensive outlook.

We are no longer children; we have grown and matured, but even if we have matured, our understanding is limited and we are unable to judge accurately for justice.

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