Torah – The Ultimate Life Support
One year, after Shavuot, it was arranged for me to visit Argentina, in order to strengthen the community with mussar and raise much-needed funds for our institutions.
Mr. César from Argentina was most helpful in arranging my trip. He was scheduled to accompany me throughout my stay in his country.
But, all good intentions aside, Hashem decides man’s fate. Some time before Shavuot, Mr. César phoned me and related that his mother had taken ill and had been admitted to the hospital. She was in critical condition, and her hours were limited. He asked that I come to the hospital as soon as possible, to be with his family at this crucial time.
I was uncertain whether it was correct to take an earlier flight to Argentina. Who knows? Maybe, by the time I arrived, his mother would have already passed on. I would have then come early for no good reason. If, indeed, his mother would pass away during the next few days, Mr. César would be forbidden to travel with me, for he would be in mourning for his mother. My entire trip would be unproductive.
I told Mr. César’s family, “Do not worry. B’ezrat Hashem, your mother will live until after Shavuot, in spite of the doctors’ dire prognosis.”
This was exactly what transpired. After Shavuot, I traveled from Paris to Argentina. From the airport, I traveled directly to the hospital. Her doctor asked me, in surprise, “How can it be that this women is still living even after all her systems shut down such a long time ago?”
I replied, “You should know that I came here to strengthen my fellow Jews in Torah study. I believe that it is the merit of my holy ancestors, zy”a, the power of Torah, which protects and rescues, and the success of my holy mission, which have kept this woman alive all this time.”
The doctor was taken aback at my words. “How can you believe in something which contradicts reality?” he asked.
“It is the power of faith which upholds a person. Just as the heart and the mind keep a person alive, so, too, faith and Torah sustain life.”
Throughout my stay in Argentina, Mr. César stood at my side and was of tremendous help. We merited sanctifying Hashem’s Name wherever we went. At the end of my visit, his mother ascended to a better world. I was with the family in their bereavement and participated in the funeral.
Hashem arranged things so that I should not have to cancel my trip, a trip organized for inspiration.
When one wants to glorify the Torah, Hashem assists him, and he meets with success.
