Living Emunah by Ashear, Rabbi David

September 05, 2023 Passing the Test

Hashem tests us all the time. There is no light flashing the words “TEST” when they come. And as a matter of fact, Hashem makes them appear to come so naturally so that it doesn't even seem to us like Hashem sent them. Hashem is able to make it look like a person is a victim of circumstance or a victim of other people’s free will. In reality, however, it is always a set-up just to give this person the opportunity to elevate himself by overcoming it. The difficulty of these tests is that by listening to the evil inclination, the person gets immediate gratification, whereas if he does what is right, he has to give up the instant gratification and wait until later to be paid for his sacrifice. That’s all an illusion. When a person takes forbidden pleasure, he will eventually lose it at another time. Yet, when a person holds back from doing what is wrong, he will definitely be paid for all eternity, and sometimes Hashem will give him a bonus in this world as well. A man told that his friend who works as an air conditioner installer and repairman once received an urgent phone call to repair an air conditioner. It was late at night and he couldn’t see so well and he accidentally mixed up some cables and caused the compressor to blow. That would be a major expense to fix. His initial reaction was to just tell the homeowner that he needed a new compressor. Nobody would ever know that he was the cause of the problem. But then he strengthened himself and instead told the homeowner the truth and apologized for his blunder. He told him he would get a new compressor and have it installed the next day. After he left that house, he spoke to his partner and told him what happened. The partner said just a few minutes before someone told him he had a spare air conditioner engine sitting dismantled on his window and asked if he had any need for it. When this man heard that, he immediately went to pick it up and then went back and installed it on the spot. Less than an hour later, the man’s air conditioner was working perfectly, and he didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket to fix it. It was so clear to him at that point that the entire episode was just a test for him. He passed the test and then Hashem gave him the compressor for free. Another man said he was sitting one night in his home trying to figure out all the debts that he had coming due. He owed a lot of money to various places and did not have close to enough to cover it. He remembered that a friend of his owed him a large sum of money and the due date for that debt had long passed. Perhaps Hashem set it up that way so that he could get the money now and pay everything he owed. He called his friend and had a pleasant conversation with him. Then he reminded him of the debt and said he really needed the money now, and hoped he could pay right away. The friend, in no uncertain terms, let him know that he had no intention of paying at that time. The conversation ended uncomfortably. How could his friend act this way, he thought. In his time of need he was there for him and now, when he was in need, he was turning his back on him? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. But then he decided to take the emunah approach instead. He said to himself, Hashem runs the world. It is not a coincidence that his friend owed him this money that he needed so badly and was refusing to pay it. If Hashem wanted him to have the money, he thought, He could easily give it to him from another source or make this friend have a change of heart and pay him. He made a determined decision, he would not bear a grudge against his friend. He would still be his friend, just like before. That night, when he prayed Arbit, he asked Hashem to help him not have any negative feelings towards this friend and to help him pay back all of his debts. Later on the same night, the friend called him back saying he was bringing the money over right away. It was an amazing turn of events. It didn’t make sense, but it didn’t have to. Hashem tested him and he passed, and afterward Hashem sent him the money. We don’t always see immediate benefits for overcoming our tests; that’s also part of the test. We must always remember, everything that happens is planned by Hashem and if we respond the way He wants us to, we will be rewarded for all eternity.