The Coast Was Clear
I had checked in my baggage in the New York airport, headed homeward. I turned to board the plane, but found two women speaking together, one on either side of the entrance. Of course, I would not walk between two strange women. I stood in place, patiently waiting for them to end their conversation. But the women, who were unaware of their problematic positions, were in no hurry to end their talk.
Hashem must have seen how uncomfortable the situation was becoming, because He suddenly made the button of one’s shirt fall off. It rolled to the other side of the walkway. The surprised woman went after it to pick it up from the floor. I hurried through, onto the plane, glad of the opportunity to preserve my purity.
Chazal teach (Makkot 10b), “In the way in which man wishes to go, he is led.” If one honestly wants to avoid sin, Hashem will assist him, removing obstacles from his way.
