“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos
Kodesh parshas Vayeshev
Mevorchim
Chodesh Teves
22 Kislev
5783/December 16, 2022
WHO KNOWS?
At the beginning of Shmoneh Esrei we
praise Hashem, as “gomel chasadim tovim – grants good kindness.”
It seems like strange vernacular. Is
there kindness that isn’t good?
Mr. Yossi Grunwald, a friend of my
father, related to me a powerful personal story.
In the summer of 1999, he was working
in a bank, and felt like it was time to move on. He began looking into other options
for employment. He heard about a job opening at Cantor-Fitzgerald, an American
financial services firm, and applied for the position.
On a Thursday afternoon in late
August, after the markets closed, he had a meeting with the Senior Vice
President (SVP) in charge of commercial bond training.
The meeting was held on the top floor
of the building in a stunning office that had a breathtaking view of the entire
Manhattan skyline.
The meeting lasted for three hours
and went very well. When it was over, the SVP warmly shook Yossi’s hand, and
proclaimed that he was excited to have met the company’s new vice president of
bond trading and stocks. He then told Yossi that he should call their office
the following morning and they would set him up with Human Resources to begin
the hiring process.
Yossi related that as he entered the
elevator and began descending, he felt like he was riding on a cloud. He was
about to join a world-famous company with an enviable position and an office
with a spectacular view. It felt too good to be true.
The following morning at 9 am, Yossi
called the office of the SVP who had interviewed him. The secretary informed
him that the SVP was in a meeting but would be sure to call him back
afterwards. Later that afternoon, when he didn’t hear back, Yossi called again.
He was again reassured that his call would be returned. But it wasn’t. He
called again the following day – morning and afternoon, and again the following
day, and the day after. Each time there were excuses and reassurances, but
nothing came of them. It was incredibly frustrating, but his calls were never
returned. After 30 days he exasperatedly gave up and moved on.
It was a deeply upsetting experience
for Yossi. The aggravation of that letdown gnawed at him for a long time afterwards.
That all changed on September 11,
2001.
Cantor-Fitzgerald’s corporate
headquarters were on the 101st to 105th floor of One World Trade Center. When
the first plane crashed into the Twin Towers at 8:46 am, the Cantor-Fitzgerald
employees in the building were trapped in the floors above where the impact of
the plane occurred.
None of their employees survived.
The Gemara (Moed Katan 18b) states
that there was a man who prayed that a certain woman agree to marry him. Rava
told the man that his prayer was not proper. If she was meant for him, she
would remain available for him. But if she wasn’t meant for him, “you will
renounce the power of G-d (to answer your prayer)”.
By definition, as mortals we have
limited understanding and foresight. Therefore, we can never know what is truly
good for us. We may think that the key to our happiness and fulfilment is bound
up in marrying a certain person, purchasing a specific home in a certain neighborhood,
or landing a job that we envision as being our dream job. But we have no way of
knowing if the very thing we imagine will be our greatest blessing, will end up
being our greatest curse and liability.
It’s painful when our plans and
dreams fall through. It’s even more aggravating when we are mistreated and
there is a lack of common decency in how we are dealt with. But as people of faith,
we remember that there is a bigger plan that supersedes our own plans.
The Chanukah story does not conclude
with everyone living “happily ever after.” Within a few years of the Chanukah
miracle, 4 of the 5 sons of Matisyahu, the original Maccabees, were killed in
battle. The fifth, Shimon, was poisoned to death sometime later.
More tragically, there are no
surviving descendants of the Maccabees.
Even on the calendar, a week after
Chanukah, we fast on the tenth of Teves, in commemoration of three tragedies.
The message of Chanukah is to see
light even in midst of darkness. Even when it seems like we are surrounded by gloom
and doom, the light of faith can illuminate and give fortitude.
One of the poignant messages of
Chanukah is the power of faith. Chanukah reminds us that Hashem controls our lives,
and nothing is beyond Him. We have no way of knowing what is best for us. But
He does.
We daven that the kindness we merit
indeed be in our best interest, and not end up backfiring our causing us pain
and aggravation. We hope that the kindness we merit always be good kindness
from which we can prosper and grow on all levels.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Freilichen & Lichtig Chanukah,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum