The Grand Plan

From Rabbis to politicians and lay leaders, we have heard again and again how difficult this past year has been. Our friends and family have discussed the devastating toll, and a simple walk around the block reveals many neighbors struggling to make ends meet. The period we are going through is not easy; it is very challenging – a testing time. Such a time period demands from us to comprehend that Hashem is behind all that happens, and it is He who is running the world.

Each test originates from His hand, and it behooves us to understand that these challenges are for our benefit. Although we may not see these hardships and challenges immediately as beneficial, we must have Emunah (faith) that the test happened for a reason. We must exclaim, “Hashem, we believe in You! We believe that You have a bigger plan, even if we cannot see it today. You taught and provided us with emunah that everything is for the good.”

Eizehu chacham? Who is wise? HaRo’eh es HaNolad. The one who can foresee the outcome.

Although we may not see an outcome today, a true chacham knows that there is a Creator of the world and this same Creator operates only for our benefit.

Rav Shmuel Birnbaum, zt”l, the Rosh HaYeshiva at Mir, related a powerful explanation. In parsha Toldot, Yitzchak Avinu became blind. Rashi explains with two reasonings. First, the smoke of Eisav’s avodah zara blinded his eyes. Next, when Yitzchak’s father, Avraham Avinu, brought him to the mizbeach of the akeidah and was about to slaughter him, the Heavens opened and the malachim, who were so moved by Avraham Avinu’s commitment and devotion to Hashem, started crying. These very tears fell into Yitzchak Avinu’s eyes while he was strapped to the mizbeach, and ultimately blinded him. Rav Birnbaum asks, why is it that the Midrash tells us that the heavens were first opened and then the malachim shed tears; this seems unnecessary. After all, the angels are everywhere and even if the heavens stayed shut, they would still be able to see the akeidah occurring. The Rosh Yeshiva answers beautifully, the World to Come is a sweet, calm place filled with menuchas ha’nefesh, joy, and the shechinah. It is also home to the malachim and devoid of jealousy, greed, politics, and the yetzer hara. In the next world, there is no reason for one to shed tears as everything is perfect! Therefore, for the malachim to cry, the heavens had to be opened and the angels had to come down to this world. It’s only in this world that crying, sadness, and depression occur, and that the outcome is not always clear. We cannot always foresee the good that may come from the hardships we face.

However, a person who lives with emunah, and is worthy of shamayim, will understand that whatever he goes through is part of the bigger plan that Hashem has for him to succeed. Our mission is to elevate ourselves in olam ha’zeh to the level of olam ha’bah, where Hashem’s plan is clear and there is no confusion. Although we cannot see His grand plan now, we must have emunah that He has a vision and we must implement that faith in our lives here in this world; that is our ultimate test.

In fact, it is specifically when we are going through our most challenging times, that Hashem wants us to exclaim, “I have emunah! Even though it seems like there is no way, this hardship can be beneficial, it must be because it is part of Your divine plan for me.” During those times that everything in our lives is going well, it is easy to have this emunah. The real challenge is to have that same level of emunah when nothing is going well for us.