Do Not Despair of His Mercy
I spent the day of Tishah B’Av in the glorious Jewish community of Sha’arei Tzion in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
After praying and reciting the kinot in the Beit Hakeneset, the rabbi asked me to escort him to the home of one of the members of the community. This man had a son who was deathly ill, and would be heartened by my visit.
I immediately agreed. I am aware of the power of the mitzvah of bikur cholim and how it helps improve the condition of the sick person.
When I entered the boy’s room, I was shocked at the sight that met my eyes. Upon the bed lay a motionless, emaciated boy. His mother sat beside him, wailing bitterly. “What a shame that today is Tishah B’Av and you cannot bless my son,” she said to me.
Looking for words of encouragement, I turned to the mother and told her that she must cease her weeping. Just as the day of Tishah B’Av will be converted to a day of rejoicing, so, too, with Hashem’s help, her son’s dismal condition will improve, and he will regain his health.
She accepted my words and put a smile on her face. A spark of faith shone in her eyes. When I observed how her faith transformed her and lifted her spirits, I was pleased that I had been an agent of hope.
Approximately one year later, I found myself once again on Argentinean shores, in the Sha’arei Tzion community. After prayers, the congregants shook hands with me some asking for advice or blessing. Suddenly, the rabbi approached me, asking if I recognized the young man standing before me. When I replied in the negative, the rabbi reminded me of the past year’s visit on Tishah B’Av, to the very sick boy. He added that Baruch Hashem, the boy recovered most miraculously, leaving no trace of his former struggle for life. The young man standing before me was none other than that sick boy.
As I gazed at the boy, standing hale and hearty on his own two feet, the following saying of Chazal came to mind (Berachot 10a), “Even if a sharp sword rests on your neck, never despair of Heavenly mercy.” Even when one’s plight seems hopeless, he must maintain his trust in Hashem that He can extricate him from his suffering and bring him complete salvation.
The mother’s simple, pure faith in Hashem’s ability to change her son’s condition to one of happiness was what granted the boy a new lease on life.
Chavakuk Hanavi (2:4) proclaims, “The tzaddik will live by his faith.” Faith breathes life into the believing Jew.
