The Wonder Drug
The following incident happened to my secretary who accompanies me on my travels. We were on our way from France to Israel. Approximately one hour before take-off, my secretary suddenly discovered that he had left behind very important medication that he takes to lower cholesterol. Since this medicine can be purchased only with a doctor’s prescription, he was very concerned. The lapse in taking his medication until he got home was likely to mess up his health.
He could not return home, because our flight was due to depart very shortly. As he stood there, wondering what to do, he noticed Mr. Tzion Saban standing before him.
Tzion Saban is a precious Jew, who serves Hashem with joy. He loves infecting his fellow Jews with his contagious love of life.
Happy to meet my secretary, Mr. Saban immediately noticed that something was wrong. He asked if he could be of help.
My secretary, seeing no other option and figuring he had nothing to lose, informed him of his predicament.
“What’s the problem?” Mr. Saban asked. “I will give you a one euro coin and you will swallow it instead of your pill.”
“Please,” my secretary begged him, “now is not the time for jesting.”
But Tzion did not relent. “Here, I am giving you a coin.” He put his hand into his pocket and opened it to reveal a handful of coins. But his hand revealed something else, as well. There, nestled among the various denominations, sat a tablet for cholesterol!
The incredulous man took the pill from Tzion. But, instead of swallowing it, he did something else. He kept it as a reminder of the miracle Hashem had performed for him.
What hashgachah pratit was apparent in this incident! Mr. Saban and his family never suffered from problems of cholesterol. How did a cholesterol tablet end up in his pocket? Moreover, what made my secretary tell his story to Mr. Saban, of all of the people in the airport?
There is no such thing as coincidence. Every act is supervised Above, and every pill rolls around only by Hashem’s command. “One does not stub his toe below unless it has been so decreed on High” (Chulin 7b).
