Resolute in Her Decision

A woman once called me up to say that her newborn was having trouble breathing and was in critical condition. She requested my blessing for his complete recovery. In order for my blessing to take effect, I asked the woman to undertake the mitzvah of tzeniut, like all good Jewish daughters. B’ezrat Hashem, in the merit of my fathers, her son would recuperate from his difficult condition. The woman did as I asked, and her baby’s condition improved.

But after some time, his condition worsened. The mother phoned me again, in a fury. “If the child dies, G-d forbid, I will break my resolution of tzeniut.”

I was very pained at her words. I told her, “In Tehillim (24:3) we read, ‘Who may ascend the mountain of Hashem, and who may stand in the place of His sanctity?’ In this world, there are two types of tests. There are challenges sent by Hashem in order to awaken a person to do teshuvah for his sins. These are referred to as ‘the mountain of Hashem.’ And there are others which are sent to test his level of emunah and piety toward his Maker. These are called, ‘the place of His sanctity.’ It is certainly difficult to ascend to the heights of spirituality. But it is manifold times harder to remain at the level one has achieved.

“You faced the first type of challenge at your son’s birth. You faced it admirably, accepting upon yourself more stringency in tzeniut. Now Hashem is testing you with a different type of challenge. He wants to see if you are consistent in your resolution, or if it was just a passing whim, undertaken temporarily for your son’s recovery.

“B’ezrat Hashem, when you show determination to unconditionally uphold your pledge of tzeniut, in spite of your Yetzer Hara seducing you to stop, you will merit the recovery of your son.”

Baruch Hashem, this woman withstood her trial and even became more greatly strengthened in her pure yirat Shamayim. She merited her son returning to the living.