A Fatal Lesson
A family I know in Lyon used to be distant from all things holy. The man of the house would ridicule religion, taunt Torah, and never make an appearance in the Beit Hakeneset.
His wife was distressed at his attitude and often asked me to intercede and attempt to bring him back to his roots. Of course, I acquiesced, and conducted a long conversation with him. But nothing helped. The man completely ignored my words and continued in his path of sin.
It seems that Hashem had greater expectations of him. He therefore sent him a frightful message, which caused him to make a 180-degree turnabout in his life.
This man had a precious son, who was very spoiled. He was involved in all sorts of frivolities and pleasures. Whatever he wanted, he was given. He grew to maturity with a house full of possessions and a mind empty of substance. His life held no value to him. One day, he lost control of himself, and in a moment of foolishness, took his life. This shook up his father terribly. He suddenly became aware of Hashem’s Presence in this world.
The fact that there is a Day of Judgment after death, when the neshamah will have to give an accounting for its actions in this world, struck him with such force that he returned to Hashem in complete teshuvah.
