Bursting with Thanksgiving
A French couple once built a huge edifice, in which they had invested a considerable sum. It was a beautiful office building which contained tens of offices for various businesses. It also housed large halls for conferences and the like. The couple conducted a dedication ceremony the day before the grand opening. Over one thousand people attended. It was estimated that the next day, the numbers would swell to over five thousand. The majority of attendees at this ceremony were Jews.
But Hashem had other, grander plans, for the opening day.
The crowds were invited for 8:00 a.m. At 6:45 a.m., a mere hour and a quarter beforehand, a gas pipe under the building burst, causing the entire structure to collapse.
Through Divine intervention, there were no casualties. No one had yet come, not even the watchman, who was scheduled to open the doors at 7:00 prompt. Through Hashem’s kindness, everyone was saved from certain death.
After some time, the couple approached me. They had put tremendous hope in this new venture. The woman spoke first. “Why did Hashem do this to us?” she demanded. “So many of our past endeavors have failed. It must be the hand of the Satan at play. Not long ago, we bought a new car. Already on one of our first rides, we got a hefty ticket. When we tried once to open a new business, my husband found himself in jail. And now, when we finally opened the doors of our new building, the entire thing went under, without a trace. Why do we deserve this?!”
I told her that never before did I meet a person who was so bitterly aggrieved toward G-d.
I tried enlightening their eyes to the many acts of kindness which Hashem had performed for them. They were obligated to thank Him for the tremendous miracle that no one was on the premises when the building exploded. Had the explosion occurred during the grand opening ceremony, they, and many, many others would have met a grisly death, or, at the very least, been left with severe injuries. Thousands of families would have been bereaved, rachmana litzlan.
I added that they were required to arrange a thanksgiving meal as an act of gratitude toward Hashem for allowing them to live. There certainly was no room for grievances toward Him.
In every challenge which a person faces, there is tremendous kindness. Sometimes, it is easy to discern it, and sometimes, not. Nevertheless, we must believe that all that Hashem does for us is for our benefit. It is our job to seek the good and thank Him for it.
