The Test of Faith: Who Do You Really Thank?

What would we say about someone earning a respectable salary from a wealthy and kind employer, but as usual, they receive their salary through the employer's treasurer and direct their gratitude and flattery to this treasurer rather than acknowledging the employer who actually supports them? It would be like receiving a beautiful gift from Reuven and thanking Shimon instead...

How easily we acknowledge human generosity and assistance compared to recognizing the blessings of Hashem. When someone needs surgery, G-d forbid, they visit a surgeon and, if successful, fill their words with gratitude for the surgeon, while feeling too embarrassed to say: 'You healed me with the help of Hashem; you were a good emissary,' thinking this might offend the doctor. Such thinking is horrifying! Are we living in times like the forced converts of Spain, who concealed their faith while outwardly living as complete non-Jews?! Such a person outwardly behaves like a total skeptic and heretic, similar to idol worship, but their faith is only internal. We should be alarmed by our state and level of faith. Is there a greater ingratitude to Hashem than this?!

Why should we be ashamed to cry out and proclaim Hashem's "victory" in our healing and other salvations that come through humans, and hide our faith within due to shame?! Are we embarrassed because it's not the "style" of modern discourse among non-believers? Should we be ashamed because such speech is considered primitive and unintelligent?! And because of those who deny Hashem, who believe only in their strength and scientific research, limited in separation from the source, which is Hashem - should we flatter them?! Should we bow to them?!

Certainly, one must thank the doctor and recognize his kindness in a respectful and honorable manner, but why be ashamed to acknowledge Hashem's role in front of him and recognize him as a successful emissary in accomplishing Hashem's decree.

For a believing Jew, this would be a complete betrayal of His blessed goodness after believing in Hashem, praying, reading Shema, laying tefillin, and in a moment of truth, denying and contradicting all principles of faith and only thanking the human while being embarrassed to acknowledge Hashem in their presence.

Wrong Address!

One of my friends once told me that his wife fell ill and had a complicated surgery. By divine intervention, a "compassionate doctor" was found who treated her with full devotion and overcame the danger that threatened her. After all was done, the husband was called to enter the doctor's office for some instructions on his wife's care. As he approached the doctor, he thought about how to express his gratitude as a believing Jew. On the one hand, he needed to thank and appreciate the doctor, but he believed that the doctor's success was only due to Hashem's salvation. However, if he thanked him in a way that seemed to imply that the doctor was merely an intermediary in his wife's healing, the doctor might be offended, as he had no concept of faith or Hashem's ability. So while he pondered how to express his words appropriately, he began his words of gratitude to the doctor. To his surprise, the doctor stopped him: "You're a believing Jew, right? Then give thanks to your God! Your wife's surgery was too complicated to thank me alone; the hand of Hashem was involved!"

And this husband tells me: I left that doctor full of shame and deep conscience, thinking: Master of the world, should these words have come from the doctor before me?! A secular doctor, not observing commandments, from him I had to hear words of faith upon which I've been striving all my life?!

Faith must be deeply rooted within a person's soul, much like a person suffering from a toothache and takes "Acamol" to ease the pain, and indeed the pain subsides for a few hours. However, how common is it for someone to say: 'Now my pain stopped because I took "Acamol" to calm it?' And isn't that a lie! What is the truth? Originally, it was decreed that the person would suffer from a toothache except for a few hours when the pain would cease and calm down; this was decreed from the beginning. However, Heaven caused it through natural means, giving the person the thought to take "Acamol" and ease the pain during those hours. Thus, the relief of the pain during those hours is not because of the "Acamol," but because it was initially decreed, only arranged in such a way that the person would take the "Acamol." And so it is with all things; let the wise man understand, for such are many matters of a person's livelihood and all his other needs as they were decreed from the start, only orchestrated in means that provide for a person accordingly, and the causes themselves have no substance. However, since a person at their level of trust cannot do without taking the necessary means and causes, the decree decreed already is provided for him in means and causes.

And in truth, when we look at our ways of life closely, we clearly see how close we are to foreign work and heretical thoughts and how far we are from the truth. Behold, when a person or a family member falls ill, he will rush over distances to find the best doctor, and he spares no expense or effort for this purpose. It is true that he also goes to the synagogue to request an increase in the saying of Psalms, but this is done only as an additional point, and since it does not require much expense - who knows if he would spend his wealth on the recitation of Psalms, thus showing us how close a person is to falsehood, and from now on, it is straightforward that the evil inclination judges him and guides him and gives him a place to err, and without toil and effort in constant thoughts to provoke good inclination upon the evil inclination - he has no hope of achieving completeness. (Rabbi Yitzchak Levenstein of blessed memory)

The article is taken from the book "Living with Faith." To purchase the book by Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Lugasi click here.