After Moshe was placed in a basket in the Nile River, the pasuk states: ותתצב אחתו מרחק לדעה מה־יעשה לו "His sister stood from afar to see what would happen to him." The Midrash explains that the entire pasuk uses language referring to the Shechina , as if to say that it was Hashem Himself who was standing from afar, watching over Moshe. What is the lesson here? Rabbi Menashe Reizman, based on the mefarshim , explained that what Miriam did—standing and watching—seemed irrational. Naturally, a baby left in a basket on a river would not survive. People usually cannot bear to witness suffering, especially when it involves a relative. So, what was Miriam watching for? The answer is that Miriam was a neviah . She had received a prophecy that the Jewish savior would be born into her family. She stood there with unwavering emunah , waiting to see how Hashem would bring about the salvation. Even though it seemed as though her prophecy would be nullified—since Moshe was abandoned in the river—she trusted that Hashem would fulfill His word. This teaches us that Hashem's ways are far beyond our comprehension. What appeared as abandonment was, in fact, the very act that enabled Moshe to rise to leadership. Being raised in the king's palace gave Moshe the stature and respect necessary to lead the Jewish people. The word אחותו (his sister) in the pasuk also signifies connection. Although Hashem appeared רחוק -distant, He was always present, providing exactly what was needed. The suffering endured by the Jewish people in Mitzrayim was immense, yet the Torah dedicates only a handful of pesukim to describing it. The majority of these parshiyot focus on the geula and Hashem's wondrous salvations. The mefarshim explain that dwelling too much on hardships can distort our perception and harm our emunah . For example, Chazal tell us that Pharaoh killed 300 Jewish babies every day—150 in the morning and 150 in the afternoon—and bathed in their blood. When Moshe witnessed this unimaginable suffering, he asked Hashem how such atrocities could happen. Hashem explained that it was all being done with chesed , to provide the necessary tikkunim for those souls. Moshe pleaded with Hashem to save at least one child, and Hashem permitted it. That child, however, later caused great destruction to Klal Yisrael . His name was Michah. Michah used the inscription "Aleh Shor" , which Moshe had used to retrieve Yosef's coffin, to bring forth the egel from the fire—a sin that continues to impact us today. Michah brought avoda zara into Eretz Yisrael and was the father of Yeravam ben Nevat(Nevat was another name for Micha), who led the ten tribes into exile and set events into motion that ultimately led to the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash . We cannot fully comprehend Hashem's ways. The children killed in Mitzrayim were undergoing tikkunim to achieve eternal life in the World to Come. Many were gilgulim (reincarnated souls) from earlier generations—the generations of Enosh, the Dor Hamabul , the Dor Hapelaga , and the people of Sodom. The Mishna in Pirkeh Avot teaches: אל תסתכל בקנקן אלא במה שיש בו - "Don't look at the vessel but at its contents." The Lev Aryeh explains that this can also refer to the atrocities in Mitzrayim. The letters קן in the word קנקן have a numerical value of 150(written 2x), hinting at the 150 babies killed every morning and every afternoon. The mishna reminds us not to focus solely on the apparent suffering but to consider the greater purpose—those souls were spared from bringing even greater harm to Klal Yisrael . Even the worst suffering can be Hashem's way of providing tikkunim for each creation, ensuring its eternal life in the World to Come. Our role is to trust that the Shechina is always with us, working for our ultimate benefit. The Chatam Sofer writes that every Jew has a mitzva, as they age, to reflect on their life and see how Hashem guided them. We are to recognize how events that once seemed terrible were, in hindsight, truly good. One of our main missions in this world is to develop complete faith in Hashem's constant and boundless chesed . One day, everything will be revealed. Until then, we have the opportunity to demonstrate our belief.

The pasuk says in this week's Parasha, Shemot, that Pharaoh decreed all the Jewish baby boys should be thrown into the Yeor . But the Torah testifies that the Jewish midwives feared Hashem and did not listen to Pharaoh, but rather they kept the babies alive. The Chafetz Chayim asked, the words, "ותחיינה את הילדים," that they kept the babies alive, seems superfluous, being that the Torah already told us they feared Hashem and did not listen to Pharaoh. The rabbi explained that the Torah here is giving us an insight into the great mesirut nefesh that these women portrayed. The midwives could have easily said that they did not want to continue doing this job anymore, in which case they would've been exempt and had no claims on them from anyone. Pharaoh wouldn't be able to have a claim against them for not violating his decree because it wouldn't be their job anymore. And Hashem wouldn't have a claim against them for killing the babies because they wouldn't be. But they did not want to just exempt themselves. They truly cared about saving the Jewish babies and did not want to take the risk of their potential replacements listening to Pharaoh. So they put their own lives at risk to save others, and Hashem rewarded them for that in a big way. It is very easy for a person to find reasons to exempt himself from something. But if instead he goes out of his way to want to please Hashem, then Hashem gives him Heavenly help in a big way. The sefer Toratcha Sha'ashuay tells the following story about the great zechut that a woman got from going out of her way to help someone in need. There was a 13-year-old boy learning in one of the great yeshivot in Europe. He was the youngest in the yeshiva and one of the only ones without a bench to sleep on at night. The boys learned in an old shul and ate the meals by people's houses. They slept in the shul and whoever didn't get a bench had to sleep on the floor. In the bitter cold winter, this was extremely hard. This boy couldn't sleep at night and was therefore having trouble learning during the day. One day he received a letter from his uncle asking him if he wanted to come and work in his business. This uncle did not have any children and he promised his nephew if he would come work for him, he would leave him all his possessions when he would pass on from this world. The boy had a very big internal struggle deciding what to do. On one hand, he knew how valuable Torah study was, but on the other hand, he was having an extremely difficult time with it. And that night, as he was lying down on the ice-cold floor, he decided he was going to take the offer. About an hour later, a widow came knocking on the front door of the shul. This boy was the only one awake and he went to see who was there. The widow explained she just finished sitting shiva for her husband. He sold blankets for a living and left a lot of them in the house. She said she wanted to donate some to the yeshiva. This boy took the blankets and for the first time was able to sleep normally. That made him decide to stay in the yeshiva, and eventually he became the Gadol Hador who affected tens of thousands of people in his lifetime: Maran HaGaon Harav Shach. When the widow passed away in 1975, Rav Shach attended her funeral and told the students how she saved his life with that act of kindness. The Hashgacha of her coming in the middle of the night on the same night that the young Rav Shach was planning on leaving was amazing. We can say about this woman ותחיינה את הילדים, she gave life to the boy. She was motivated l'shem shamayim , and Hashem gave her tremendous s iyata dishmaya to benefit from that act of chesed for all eternity. We should always do our best to go out of our way to help others, even if we may be exempt, because we never know what each act will produce. Shabbat Shalom.

Hashem speaks to us all the time. We need to be aware and keep our eyes and ears open for His messages. Sometimes a person needs a yeshuah and seeks something to improve on as a zechut . It's possible that Hashem will convey what he needs to work on in a subtle way, but he must be vigilant and on the lookout for the message. A 7th-grade rebbe shared a story about a student in his class who struggled to grasp even the basics. The more the rebbe tried to explain, the less it seemed the student understood. After Pesach last year, the class began learning a new masechet , and suddenly, the boy started understanding everything. Not only that, he retained all that he learned and quickly became one of the top students in the class. The change was astonishing, happening in such a short time. The rebbe's amazement did not go unnoticed, and the boy explained what had led to the transformation. He said, "A few weeks ago, rebbe told us about the holy tanna Matyah ben Charash, who faced a great test in guarding his eyes. He was even willing to lose his eyesight to avoid sinning. Hashem performed a miracle for him and restored his sight. "I thought to myself, I also need to safeguard my eyes. Across from the bus stop where I wait every morning is a public school, and I usually watch the students, including the girls who dress immodestly. After rebbe mentioned Matyah ben Charash, I decided to guard my eyes. Every day when they arrive, I look down and pray to Hashem to enlighten my eyes in His Torah and help me remember what I learn. Hashem answered my request. Since then, I've been able to understand and remember everything." This boy needed help with his learning, and Hashem subtly hinted to him what he needed to do to merit it—through the rebbe's words about shemirat enayim . The boy understood the message and experienced an incredible yeshuah . Sometimes Hashem gives us exactly the chizuk we need. A man shared that he became very involved in encouraging others and giving chizuk . Baruch Hashem, he was good at it and helped many people. However, recently, he began to have second thoughts. The work was consuming so much of his time, sometimes keeping him on the phone with people for over half an hour. He wondered if he should scale back and focus more on other areas of avodat Hashem , including his own learning. That very day, as he was grappling with these thoughts, he came across a piece in a book on emunah that spoke directly to his dilemma. The book quoted the Chafetz Chaim, who emphasized how much Hashem values those who bring chizuk to others. The Chafetz Chaim compared it to a father whose children are sad, saying that such a father would feel immense hakarat hatov toward anyone who brings joy to his children. The man felt reassured that he was on the right path. That night, as part of his routine, he read two halachot from the Sefer Chafetz Chaim and a paragraph of mussar from the back of the sefer . To his amazement, the very same idea he had read earlier in the book on emunah appeared in the mussar section of the Sefer Chafetz Chaim that night. It was Hashem who was showing him the same chizuk twice in one day to reinforce the message. The encouragement he needed to continue his avodat hakodesh was delivered clearly and powerfully. Hashem speaks to us all the time. If we're on the lookout, we will catch His messages.

If someone has been making hishtadlut in a certain area for a long time but hasn't seen success, there is a segula attributed to Rav Chaim Palachi that can work wonders. Whether the hishtadlut pertains to shidduchim , parnasa , health, or any other matter, strengthening one's bitachon in the following way can bring great siyata dishmaya . The practice involves saying the first paragraph of Alenu l'Shabe'ach with intense kavana . Then, go back to the words הוא אלוקינו ואין עוד אחר —"He is our G-d, and there is none other"—and deeply internalize that no one else in the world can help besides Hakadosh Baruch Hu. With this mindset, proceed to the second paragraph, על כן נקוה לך ה' אלוקינו , and focus on the specific issue causing distress. As you recite it, think: "Hashem, I am placing all my bitachon in You." A man who learned of this segula for the first time shared it with his niece in Argentina, who was struggling with shidduchim . She asked if it was enough to perform the segula once a day when reciting Alenu , as she only prayed once daily. Her uncle assured her that this was sufficient, and he committed to having her in mind as he performed the segula three times a day. Remarkably, within a month, she found her shidduch . This segula is not new; it is simply another method to instill the principle of אין עוד מלבדו . A woman once told me about her longstanding eye condition. Her eyes were persistently watery and produced mucus, and none of the medications she tried brought relief. A few years ago, she turned to the Rebbetzin whose class she attended weekly for advice. The Rebbetzin encouraged her to work on internalizing that only Hashem could help her. Then, she suggested a practical step: "Chanuka is coming up this week. Each night, stand by the candles for 15 minutes and pray to Hashem, fully believing that only He can help." The woman followed the Rebbetzin's advice and even stopped relying on the ineffective medications. Each night of Chanuka, she stood before the candles, praying with all her heart and focusing on her emunah that only Hashem could heal her. Amazingly, her condition improved with each passing day. By the end of Chanukah, her eyes were completely healed. Baruch Hashem, it has now been two years, and the issue has not returned. There is no substitute for genuine belief in Hashem's power. It cannot be faked, as Hashem perceives the true feelings within a person's heart. When one fully believes in אין עוד מלבדו , it becomes a wondrous segula that brings an outpouring of siyata dishmaya .

If a person gets taken advantage of or is wronged by another individual or business and then the person sees how much that other individual or business is flourishing as a result, he may begin to feel that it pays to do the wrong thing because those who do, get away with it and enjoy from it. But there could be nothing further from the truth. The Mishnah says in Pirkei Avot that Hashem who created the world and sees everything that goes on, He is also the Judge, the Witness and the Plaintiff. He never forgets anything. He does not show favoritism in judgment and He cannot be bribed. And for everything that people do, they are held accountable. The yetzer hara makes a person think that he can do wrong and get away with it, but the Mishnah warns, אל יבטיתך יצרך – a person should not let his yetzer hara convince him that he could escape, because Hashem is the most righteous and fairest Judge. Everybody will get what is coming to them. If someone was taken advantage of and was meant to have the money that was stolen from him, he'll get it back. And if it was not meant for him, then the one who took advantage of him was just acting as a messenger to take away what wasn't his. However, that messenger is fully held accountable for choosing to do wrong and will be brought to justice for the crime unless he makes teshuva . It may appear that people get away with things for years, but that does not mean that Hashem is not holding them accountable. When the goblet was found in the sack of Binyamin and the Shevatim had to return to the viceroy, Yehuda told him, "What can we say? האלוקים מצא עוון עבדיך - Hashem has found the sin of your servant." Why was Yehuda speaking about Hashem to this leader? Because Yehuda knew, everything happens only from Hashem. And if they were suffering this torment, it must be because of an avon they committed. He was regretting selling Yosef as a slave now, seeing that he and his brothers may also become slaves. This episode took place 22 years after they sold Yosef, yet Yehuda saw it as a clear consequence for that action. Sometimes Hashem brings kapara to a person shortly after he sinned, sometimes it takes years, sometimes decades and sometimes not until in the Next World, but every action that a person does is always taken into account and nothing ever goes unnoticed. Therefore, we should feel calm, knowing that no matter what other people do or try to do to us, we are always in Hashem's hands and He is the fairest, most righteous Judge. Moreover, we should never let our evil inclination convince us to do wrong or take revenge because there is accountability. Those who harmed us will not get away with it. And we should never harm others either. Our sole focus should always be doing the will of Hashem. And if we do, we will always come out on top.

It is possible for a person to have a completely incorrect understanding of how Hashem interacts with us, stemming from misconceptions about concepts they learned as a child. For example, Chazal teach us that Hashem punishes midda keneged midda —measure for measure. Some people might perceive this as a form of revenge, chas v'shalom , as if to say, "If you act that way, I will do the same to you." This interpretation is a complete distortion of what midda keneged midda truly is. The Alshich explains this concept through a pasuk in Tehillim: ולך ה' חסד, כי אתה תשלם לאיש כמעשהו —"To You, Hashem, is kindness, for You repay a person according to their deeds." Hashem performs a tremendous act of chesed by ensuring that the consequence a person faces corresponds directly to their misdeed. Initially, Hashem grants a person time to do teshuva without any punishment. If the person does not repent, Hashem, in His compassion, does not want the sin to remain on their record. As an act of chesed , He provides a consequence designed to awaken the person to recognize their wrongdoing and inspire them to do teshuva . Hashem desires for each person to attain eternal happiness, which sin would jeopardize. Midda keneged midda is one of Hashem's many acts of love, designed to guide us toward a better path. Consider the following story: A man was confined to a wheelchair, and his wife managed their household efficiently. They were known for their hospitality, opening their home to many people seeking a meal or solace. One regular visitor became so accustomed to their generosity that he treated their home as his own, staying for hours and unintentionally straining their hospitality. Eventually, the couple moved to a new, more spacious apartment on the fifth floor. Although this would typically be challenging for someone in a wheelchair, the building had an elevator that went directly to their floor. However, on their first day in the new apartment, the elevator malfunctioned, stopping only at the fourth floor. Each day, the husband needed assistance carrying his wheelchair down one flight of stairs and back up again—a significant inconvenience. As days passed without the elevator being fixed, the wife recalled a story she had heard. A family once moved without informing a poor, lonely man who regularly visited them for food every Friday. On their first day in their new home, the woman encountered a scorpion in her kitchen. Though they killed it, another appeared the next morning. Realizing something unusual was happening, they consulted their rabbi. The rabbi opened Perek Shira and pointed out the scorpion's song: "And His mercies are upon all His creations." He suggested they reflect on whether they had failed to show compassion to someone. The couple remembered their oversight in not notifying the lonely man about their move. They sought him out, informed him of their new address, and invited him to continue visiting. After this, the scorpions stopped appearing. The wife related this story to her husband and suggested that their situation was similar. They wanted Hashem to have pity on them, yet they had not shown compassion to the guest who was accustomed to visiting them. They realized they had failed to inform him about their move. That very day, they reached out to him and reassured him that he was welcome to visit whenever he wanted. By the next morning, the elevator was fixed. Someone hearing this story might think Hashem was punishing the family for their lack of compassion. However, that is not the correct perspective. Hashem knew how much they gained from their chesed toward this guest and wanted to ensure they didn't lose out on those eternal merits. In His kindness, He gave them a reminder to continue their good deeds. Everything Hashem does is an act of chesed . We need to train ourselves to see events in this light and maintain the proper perspective

In this week's parasha , Vayechi, Yaakov tells Yehuda, " יהודה אתה יודוך אחיך ", that he will be the king, and the Jewish people will be named after him— Yehudim . This honor was granted to Yehuda because of his ability to admit his guilt, even when it would lead to public humiliation. The Midrash recounts that when Yehuda convened a bet din to judge Tamar, he served as its head, with Shem ben Noach and his grandfather Yitzchak Avinu as the other two members. Their ruling was to sentence Tamar and the twins she was carrying to death. However, right before Tamar was to be executed, she subtly hinted to Yehuda that she was not guilty, but rather he was. At that moment, Yehuda faced a profoundly difficult decision. He was the head of the bet din , a highly respected leader, and in the presence of two of the greatest individuals in history. He could have ignored Tamar's hint and proceeded with the execution. If he had done so, no one would have ever discovered Yehuda's involvement. Alternatively, he could have delayed the proceedings until the commotion died down by claiming there was new evidence to investigate. This approach would have allowed him to quietly resolve the situation later, preserving his reputation and ensuring Tamar remained unharmed. But Yehuda chose neither of these options. Instead, he stood up in front of everyone and declared, "She is right, I am wrong." Yehuda's ability to control himself and prioritize truth over his own honor earned him the right to become king. This act also granted him the z'chut to father the dynasty that would ultimately bring forth the Mashiach. To be an איש אמת , a person of truth, and to admit guilt even at great personal cost is a remarkable quality. Chazal teach us that emmet is the seal of Hashem. This was the defining trait of Yaakov Avinu, who excelled in emmet . To admit guilt, even when no one else knows the truth except Hashem, is a complete act of emunah . It reflects a person's acknowledgment that Hashem knows all and that they will not hide from the truth. Of course, we do not need to publicly broadcast our wrongdoings. But when circumstances call for it, admitting our guilt is an opportunity to shine. Rav Shach once delivered a deep shiur to the entire Ponevezh Yeshiva on the gemara they were studying. During the lecture, a student asked a question that seemed to completely undermine Rav Shach's argument. Rather than talking his way out of it, Rav Shach immediately admitted, "That's a great question—I see I'm wrong." He closed the gemara and stopped the shiur . Just a minute later, another student proposed an excellent answer to the question, allowing Rav Shach to continue with the shiur . Yet the episode demonstrated how quickly he could admit the truth, even at the risk of embarrassment. Rabbi Yehuda Ades שליט"א , the Rosh Yeshiva of Kol Yaakov, shared a story about his teacher, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ז צ"ל . When Yeshivat Kol Torah was considering Rabbi Shlomo Zalman as their new Rosh Yeshiva, they asked him to deliver a shiur to the entire yeshiva. During the shiur , another rabbi raised a question about his explanation. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman later said he had three potential answers in mind, but in his heart, he felt that all of them were flawed and that the questioner was correct. During the audition, he admitted publicly, "I see I made a mistake. I am wrong." Rabbi Shlomo Zalman was ultimately chosen as the Rosh Yeshiva. One of the decision-makers later remarked, "When I heard the rabbi publicly admit he was wrong, I knew he was the right choice for Rosh Yeshiva." People are not perfect, and it is often difficult to admit when we are wrong. Yet this quality defines us as Yehudim . If the moment arises when we must admit guilt despite the embarrassment, doing so elevates us immeasurably. Shabbat Shalom

The Sefer Oznayim LaTorah relates a story passed down through a chain of tradition: From the Brisker Rav, who heard it from his father, Rav Chaim, who heard it from another rabbi, person to person, back to the one who experienced it. On one occasion, Napoleon visited a small city in Poland. The local leaders and dignitaries prepared a grand reception for him, each taking turns to extol his praises. In the middle of the event, Napoleon asked why no one was there to represent the Jewish community. Immediately, some people went to search for a Jew. They returned ten minutes later with an elderly rabbi, one of the only Jews in the area. Napoleon then asked the rabbi to say a few words. The rabbi replied that he was not accustomed to speaking about monarchy, as he only knew how to speak words of Torah. Napoleon encouraged him to share some Torah, as he had already received enough praise. The rabbi then quoted a pasuk from Parashat Vayeshev regarding Yosef speaking to the sar hamashkim in prison. Yosef told him he would be reinstated as the chief wine steward for the king and then said, " כי אם זכרתני "—mention me to Pharaoh when you are freed. The rabbi posed a question: The words כי אם suggest they are providing a reason for what was previously stated. Seemingly, it should have said instead, וזכרתני . He explained that Yosef was telling the sar hamashkim , "It doesn't make sense that you were imprisoned in the first place. When a man of stature like yourself is accused of a crime, an investigation is conducted, and only after guilt is established is he jailed. Yet you did nothing wrong and were still imprisoned. The only reason you are here now, and leaving soon, is " כי אם זכרתני " —so you can mention my name to the king and secure my release. I too was imprisoned unjustly." The rabbi then turned to Napoleon and said, "My great emperor, how is it that you are here now in this small town in Poland, so far from your palace? Perhaps this is G-d sending you to witness the plight of the Jews here. We are treated unfairly. We are beaten and killed for no reason. Please save us from the torture we endure." The lesson here is clear. Hashem sends His messengers to different places at different times to accomplish what He wills. No matter where we are, we can trust that help is always possible, for Hashem can easily place one of His messengers to assist us. Rabbi Binyamin Pruzansky tells a story that illustrates this idea. A young man named Eli traveled with friends by car from Brooklyn to Toronto for a wedding. He planned to return with them on Thursday night, but changed his mind and decided to fly back alone the next morning. After his friends departed, he stayed at a hotel near the airport. When he was checking in for his flight the next day, Eli realized he had left his passport in his luggage, which was in the car that had already returned to Brooklyn. Now stranded at the airport on Erev Shabbat with no way to get home, he pleaded with the airline agent to let him board without his passport, but the request was denied. Desperate, Eli moved to the side and prayed to Hashem for help. Just then, a man in sandals and a straw hat approached him and asked, "What's the matter? You look miserable." Eli turned around and saw someone who didn't look like what he imagined a heavenly messenger would. But he had no choice but to explain his situation. The man responded, "A citizen is always allowed to return to their country of origin. That's the law. Even if you don't have a passport, they must let you board the plane." He instructed Eli to return to the desk and assert this point. Eli followed the advice, and at first, the agent refused to comply. Eli persisted, saying, "It's the law." The agent went to investigate and, after confirming the information, allowed Eli to board. Hashem puts His messengers everywhere. No matter where we are, we can always be helped.

One of the pillars upon which this world stands is Gemilut Chasadim.Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Friedman, author of the Noam Siach , related that he was in Israel this past Yom Kippur. He went to Viznitz for Kol Nidre , and as is known, they start a half hour before everybody else. He was so busy on the phone helping people back in America that he arrived almost at the end of Kol Nidre . He was so disappointed, especially since one of the highlights of his tefillot on Yom Kippur is saying the Or Zarua LaTzadik , which he had already missed. This was a very bad start to a most important day. A little later, during a break, the rabbi noticed the Be'er HaParasha bulletin on the table in front of him, written by Rabbi Elimelech Biderman. He opened it randomly to a page and started reading. There, it said that a chasid of Rav Shlomka of Zvil was at the bedside of a sick friend the entire day of Rosh Hashana. He had missed all of the tefillot and only managed to get to shul for the Tekiat Shofar .When the Rebbe saw him, he said to those around him, "This man is a ben Olam Haba ," because Gemilut Chasadim is such a powerful mitzvah, and that's what he was involved in. Rabbi Friedman felt like Hashem was talking directly to him. Here he felt so bad that he was late for shul on Yom Kippur, but it was because he was involved in Gemilut Chasadim , and Hashem showed him how valuable that was. People who dedicate themselves to helping others see so much siyata dishmaya when helping people. A man who started an organization called the "Mitzva Man" told me that every year they get 5,000 toys donated and give them out to children in hospitals for Chanukah. One year, after the distribution was already made, they received an additional 5,000 toys from generous sponsors who wanted to be a part of the mitzva. Being that they had already distributed to all the children they knew, and it was just two days before Chanukah, they didn't know what they were going to do with all the extra toys. So the Mitzva Man did what he always does. He turned to Hashem and said, "Please help me, Hashem, find the right place to give these toys to." A few hours later, he received a call from an organization in Lakewood saying they saw a picture of the Mitzva Man and his staff in a magazine distributing toys for Chanukah. They said they give out toys every year as well, but this particular year they didn't have funding for it. The man on the line asked if perhaps the Mitzva Man had any extra toys he could give them. The Mitzva Man asked, "How many toys do you usually distribute?" The person on the other line said, "About 5,000." "That's amazing," the Mitzva Man replied. "I have 5,000 extra toys ready for pickup right now." This conversation took place at 10 o'clock at night. The organization from Lakewood happened to have a huge truck of theirs in Brooklyn, where the Mitzva Man was located at that time, ready to head back to Lakewood. The truck, the man said, is rarely in Brooklyn, but because Hashem knew it was going to be used to transport these toys, He sent it there that day. Five minutes after that phone call, the truck was already by the location, ready to have the toys loaded on. Gemilut Chasadim is such a precious mitzva. There are so many selfless individuals, giving up their own time to help others every single day. The Mitzva Man told me he received a phone call from a woman asking if he could find a ride for her and her two sons to visit her husband, who was in a rehabilitation center very far away. He would be there for maybe almost a year, and it was a three-hour drive to get there, and she couldn't drive, which meant if she couldn't find a ride, neither she nor her children would be able to see their father and husband. The Mitzva Man knew finding someone to drive for seven hours, dedicating an entire day to doing this would be very difficult. It would be three hours each way and one hour of visiting time. He put out a message with the request, and at first, there was no response. But then a gentleman responded that he takes a minivan to that rehab center at least once a week, bringing family members to visit their relatives. He said it was because he himself had been in that center, and he rarely got visitors, and he understood how hard it is not to have visitors. So he vowed that when he left that place, he was going to drive people every single week to make visits. With the right motivation, everyone can get more involved in Gemilut Chasadim .

The shidduch process can be very frustrating, waiting for suggestions, waiting for responses. Sometimes, things look like they are going so well, and all of a sudden, everything falls apart. Sometimes, after waiting a long time, a prospective shidduch is finally set up. The girl begins getting excited, hoping this could be the one. Then, on the day they are supposed to meet, the boy calls in sick and somehow never follows through. Getting rejected or overlooked is considered tremendous yesurin . We don't know why people have to experience them, but for sure, they are accomplishing so much through their experience. Every moment of waiting is accomplishing different types of tikkunim that will benefit them for all eternity. As hard as it is to imagine, everything is happening exactly the way Hashem wants it to happen, for the person's benefit. If the person can stay strong in their emunah and trust that they are in Hashem's loving hands, the value of what they are experiencing will become exponentially greater. No matter how long it has been or how bleak it seems, we must always have the emunah of ישועת ה' כהרף עין -everything can change in the blink of an eye. Salvation can literally come at a moment's notice. Part of a person's responsibility as a God-fearing Jew is to always have hope that salvation could come instantly. The Jewish world was overjoyed when we found out last year that a Rosh Yeshiva in Israel had his first baby at the age of 88. The Rosh Yeshiva had lost his first wife in 2015 and then, at the age of 82, remarried a woman in 2018 who was more than 30 years younger than him. Six years later, she miraculously gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The Rebbetzin told the incredible story of how this shidduch took place at a massive gathering in Lakewood, and Rabbi Binyamin Prusansky related it in his new book, Living with Miracles . After marrying late and having a family, she found herself alone again. She was nearly 50 years old and had one dream: to marry a talmid chacham . She strengthened her emunah and prayed to Hashem to make it happen. In the meantime, she dedicated a sefer on tefilla as a zechut for herself and others, written by Rabbi Daniel Travis. She was hoping to get married within the year, but as the end of the year approached, not one shidduch had been suggested to her. One Erev Shabbat , she brought her son to the orthopedist to have his cast removed. On her way into the building, she slipped and fell down a flight of steps. She hobbled into the office and was told that she had pulled some tendons and might have a hairline fracture. When she arrived home, she sat in the kitchen and elevated her leg, resting her foot on a chair while her children prepared for Shabbat. As she sat there, she noticed her diary on the kitchen table. Skimming through it, she came to a notation she had made for Tu B'Av, which was just two weeks away. The date was circled, and written on the page were the words, Im Yirtzeh Hashem, My Wedding Day . Sitting there with her injured foot, just two weeks away from what she so fervently believed would be her wedding day, she felt dejected. She had worked so hard on her bitachon . How could this be the outcome? But then she caught herself and said, "Hashem can do anything. I need to remain hopeful—Hashem could bring me a shidduch in the blink of an eye." That Shabbat, she focused her thoughts and heart on building her confidence that Hashem could answer her tefillot כהרף עין . On Motza'eh Shabbat , a shadchan called with a suggestion—it was the Rosh Yeshiva. The shadchan said what set her resume apart from others was that Rabbi Daniel Travis, a student of the Rosh Yeshiva, was listed as one of her references. Rabbi Travis read to the Rosh Yeshiva the dedication she had written in his sefer , which expressed her profound love and support for Torah. Those words convinced the Rosh Yeshiva that he had found his zivug . Their meeting took place during the Nine Days. About thirty minutes into their conversation, the Rosh Yeshiva asked her, "What date would you like the wedding to be?" Unprepared for the question, she steered the conversation in a different direction. But then, ten minutes later, he asked again, and again she diverted the discussion. A few minutes later, he asked her if she wanted to get married, to which she replied, "Yes." "So when do you want the wedding to take place?" he asked. She said, "Tu B'Av is a beautiful day to get married." "Tu B'Av it is," the Rosh Yeshiva answered. And eleven days later, their wedding was held. It had seemed like salvation was far off. But the Rebbetzin renewed her strength in believing in ישועת ה' כהרף עין , and amazingly, she was married on Tu B'Av, just as she had hoped.