Don’t Pass Up

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

Hashem gives everyone the chizuk they need to pass the test they are given or to accomplish the mitzvot that He presents them with. If a test or mitzvah opportunity would be too difficult for a person to handle, Hashem will give that person the strength or words of encouragement that they need in advance to enable them to handle the test, or to give them the ability to follow through with the mitzvah that He's going to present them with. A young man told me that on the night of the Shevi'i Shel Pesach , he went with his wife and children to eat at his parents' house. At the meal, his father gave a Devar Torah about grabbing opportunities to do mitzvot. He quoted a rabbi who once said to his kehila that at Kriyat Yam Suf , there was a man by the name of Gershon ben Aminadav. Immediately, some members of the congregation corrected the rabbi and said, “No, it was Nachshon ben Aminadav.” The rabbi continued and said, “There was also a man named Gershon ben Aminadav. But at the last moment, he lost the courage to go into the Yam Suf, and therefore nobody ever heard of him. Nachshon ben Aminadav, on the other hand, seized the opportunity to show his bitachon in Hashem and he is remembered forever for the good.” The message was clear, don't pass up on mitzvah opportunities. That same night, this young man changed his plans and instead of sleeping by his parents' house, he and his wife decided they were going to walk home instead. As they were getting close to their apartment, a Pakistani man called to them from his car saying, “A Jew needs help!” They were a little afraid to approach, but the man pleaded saying there was a Jew in his car, it was an Uber. The young man went over and glanced in the back seat and indeed, he saw a Jew there dressed in Chassidish garb. He asked him what he was doing in a car on Yom Tov. The man said he was from Borough Park, then said he was from Williamsburg. He sounded very confused. Then he said he was trying to go to downtown Brooklyn, something that also made no sense. The young man realized he had special needs. He told the driver to call the police, but the driver wanted nothing to do with this and so he kicked the Chassidish man out of the car. The young man wasn't sure what to do next. He and his wife decided to walk with him back to their apartment and they would try to get a goy to call Shomrim. When they arrived back, the wife was a little afraid to bring the man into their apartment with their little children. The young man said he would ask the neighbor's housekeeper to call, but, in general, he had very little to do with his neighbors and was nervous to knock on their door at this late hour. A minute later, the neighbor's door opened. They saw some commotion and asked what was happening. The young man explained the issue. The neighbors said they had just called Hatzalah because someone passed out. He had since woken up, but they were still nervous. He said they would ask Hatzalah what to do when they came. In the meantime, they brought the Chassidish man into their home and gave him something to eat. When the Hatzalah arrived, they went straight to where the man who passed out was. After a few minutes, they said all was fine. The young man then approached the Hatzalah members and asked them about calling Shomrim because he found someone in the street who seemed to be lost. One of the Hatzalah members said he was on Shomrim. They brought him to where the Chassidish man was eating. He took one look at him and said, “I can't believe it. This man was missing for almost two days and no one could find him. Baruch Hashem, you found him.” The young man felt so good that he was able to help here. He told me, normally he is very reserved, and if that would have happened on any other night, he would have just kept walking and not approached the car. It was only because his father just told them, an hour before that, “Don't be like Gershon ben Aminadav,” that he had the courage to go over and help out and do the mitzvah himself. Hashem gives us opportunities to do mitzvot and He also gives us the strength and courage in advance to follow through with them.