Thank You, Hashem!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Sukkot. Baruch Hashem, over here in Eretz Yisrael, we had a peaceful Yom Tov. The simchah was definitely enhanced after hearing about the miracles aboard the FlyDubai flight to Israel. And now that the terrorist co-pilot has begun speaking to interrogators, the extent of the many miracles that happened is becoming even greater.

By now, I assume everyone has already heard the basic story, and many Rabbonim have already written and spoken about it. I would just like to focus on one aspect we can all take from this miraculous story.

In response to those who claim it was just a series of unfortunate or fortunate circumstances—such as the airline not catching his radical views, or extra pilots being aboard with heroic actions—we will respond the following way.

Many of the passengers, including not-yet-religious Israeli Jews, went to make the berachah of Hagomel, thanking Hashem for saving them. Not just because they were saved and survived, but because they realized the extent of the miracles that happened at that moment. After discussing what happened, they realized just how many details had to fall into place for them to be saved on that day.

The terrorist co-pilot had originally planned his actions for earlier flights but kept pushing it off for various reasons. He did not know it, but all the aspects and details of Hashem’s plan had to be in place. And when the terrorist decided to attack the pilot and put the plane into a dive, at that very moment a mother was taking her child to the restroom, right behind the cockpit. She saw and heard what was going on, and screamed out for help. Her husband, a plumber, heard her scream and rushed forward to help. If not for that restroom trip at that moment, those few seconds would have made a major difference, and the results could have been disastrous.

So many miracles! The pilot was able to open the locked cockpit door despite his serious injuries. Each of the passengers involved had a role to play: the one who leveled the plane, those who tied up the terrorist, the doctor who treated the pilot, those who were able to contact others for help, both in the air and in Saudi Arabia—and there just happened to be two spare pilots among the passengers. This is all besides the rest of the plane remaining intact, aside from the rudder, despite the pressure from the incredible speeds it reached.

We say in Hallel (Tehillim 117), Hallelu et Hashem kol goyim — all the Nations will praise Hashem. Only they know how much they planned against us and were prevented from carrying it out for some reason.

The Netziv was asked by a Czarist official why it says in Tehillim (98), Hari’u la’Hashem kol ha’aretz — all inhabitants of the world will praise Hashem. Shouldn’t it be solely the Jews praising Him for being saved?

The Netziv answered: True, but only our enemies know the extent of the plans against us, and only they know just how many times they were stopped!

This brings us to the major topic of hakarat hatov — recognizing all the good that Hashem has done for us. This is an extremely important topic for us, and we find it right at the beginning of the world.

The cheit — sin — of eating from the eitz hada’at brought death to the world, hardships in livelihood, and pain in pregnancy and childbirth. These were very harsh punishments. And what was the sin? Disobeying Hashem’s decree. Adam and Chava had one commandment to keep, and they failed.

However, in the Torah, Hashem told Adam, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice,” that is why you are receiving this punishment. Why didn’t Hashem say that he was being punished for disobeying and eating from the tree? Wasn’t that the sin?

The Torah is teaching us something greater. Hashem asked Adam, “Did you eat?” Adam answered, “The wife You gave me made me eat.” And that was the truth! Then Hashem turned to Adam, saying, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice…”

Rashi explains by quoting the Gemara, which says that Adam was being kafui tov — rejecting the good and being ungrateful for the good he received. The Ramban elaborates that Adam was accusing Hashem of causing him to sin because He gave Chava to Adam.

Adam was not just blaming Hashem for placing a stumbling block in the form of Chava before him. Rather, Adam was saying that the fact that You gave me a wife in the first place is terrible! She was not something good, and this time she caused me to stumble, but she is all bad! I would have been better off without her! That was the greatest kafui tov possible, and that was the major sin.

But then, after the curses, the Torah says that Adam called his wife Chava, mother of all life. Really, he named her before the sin. So why is it only mentioned after the punishments?

Rashi says that the Torah interrupted its flow. It had been dealing with Adam naming the animals, when he realized that he did not have a mate and became sad. That is why Hashem created his wife, to bring him happiness. Adam should have realized that and been bursting with hakarat hatov for receiving Chava, even if she would be instrumental in bringing him to sin.

However, the Torah is also teaching us that Adam realized that his major sin was due to a lack of hakarat hatov. So now, after the cheit, the Torah specifically tells us what he named her. Even though death has now become part of life, the focus is now on the fact that Chava is the “mother of all life.” Adam changed to focus on having hakarat hatov for everything Hashem gave him.

This is a tremendous lesson for us. Simply put, we must always focus on the big picture playing out all around us. We only see small parts, and we need to realize how much we owe Hashem for everything He has already given to us, all for our benefit, in all situations.

One can easily be misled into blaming Hashem for all our troubles and accusing Him of wanting to harm us. Really, that is the outlook of Amalek and other reshaim — a topic for another article — something we need to stay far away from.

By taking an example like the FlyDubai incident, and by focusing on how every detail was so important to save the passengers, we can realize just how much we need to thank Hashem. And not just in a public situation, but in our private lives even more so. And yes, this is even in difficult situations. Recognizing that Hashem only has our best interest in His plans for us should change the way we view and relate to whatever goes on.

May we be zoche to always recognize the good Hashem does for us, and may we be zoche to greet Mashiach very soon!

---

R’ Dovi Chaitovsky lives with his family in Eretz Yisrael, where he has the zechut to learn and teach Torah. His divrei Torah often draw from the shiurim of R’ Yisrael Altusky shlit”a of Yeshiva Torah Ore, available on www.KolHalashon.com. In Connecting The Dots: Torah Thoughts For Modern Times, he uses stories, parables, Torah sources, current events, and reflections on daily life to connect timeless Torah wisdom with contemporary challenges and encourage practical growth.