Soaring High
I know of a fantastically wealthy family in New York which rubs shoulders with the president himself. Their only son grew up with the symbolic silver spoon in his mouth, and even had a private jet at his service. I found it fascinating that this boy, who never lacked for anything, felt a spiritual void. He sought to quench this thirst with the living waters of Torah. On his very own, he recognized Hashem. This is how it happened.
This young man, of a philosophical bent, noticed that the Jews were always pursued and persecuted, without any logical explanation. The torment and torture which this underprivileged nation underwent, throughout the generations, bothered him to no end. And although he lived in the Land of Freedom and Opportunity, he had plenty of occasion to observe anti-Semitism rear its ugly head. “Why does this happen?” he wondered. “Why is the Jewish nation destined to suffer at the hands of its host country?”
The matter gave him no rest. He studied Am Yisrael’s history throughout the ages. His research brought him to an awareness of a Creator Who manages the world alone, each and every moment. When he delved deeper into the matter, he learned about the intricacies of the Torah, which was given at Har Sinai. He was astounded at discovering that he was light-years away from his purpose on this earth. This revelation brought him to complete teshuvah. Baruch Hashem, he sets aside a few hours each day for Torah study and prays three times daily.
He had no need for a private jet in order to reach the Heavens. Rather, it was an encounter with the bare, basic truth, which galvanized him to reach tremendous spiritual heights, coming ever closer to his Creator.
This man’s search for the truth opened a tiny aperture, the size of a needle hole. And Hashem, as He promises, opened for him the opening of a banquet hall and brought him back to his roots.
