Nothing Is by Accident
In a city near New York lived a family who was hit by tragedy. The expectant mother slipped and fell. She and her unborn child sadly passed away. This calamity shook the entire community. In its wake, the community members asked various rabbanim to deliver words of inspiration.
I, too, was asked to provide words of encouragement. After my speech, an appeal would be made for tzedakah. I asked my host in New York to drive me to the Beit Hakeneset where I was scheduled to deliver my talk. As we were traveling, the man turned to me and asked if I minded if he made a detour. He very much wanted to show me the yeshiva where his son learned. At first, I hesitated. But he promised that it would take no longer than a minute, so I acquiesced.
After looking at the yeshiva, we continued on our way to the Beit Hakeneset. We were suddenly met by a ghastly sight. Exactly at the spot where we would have driven a moment earlier, a terrible accident had occurred. A mammoth truck had smashed into a private car. Its occupants were flung into the street. No one knew if they were still alive.
I trembled at this sight. Had we not changed our route, we would most likely have been a part of that horrific scene.
I have no doubt that the upcoming appeal for tzedakah was what saved us from this accident. The mitzvah of tzedakah saves a person from all harm.
