DG's Divrei Torah

Shavuos - A holiday in which we, the Jewish people, received the Torah from the One above. Yes, that's correct, the Torah is a gift from Hashem that was given to us to keep our lives balanced and centered. For instance, how do you make a perfect circle? You first place a rock down, then you tie one side of the string to the rock and the other side to the stencil. The Torah is that rock in which we "tie" ourselves to throughout our lives, keeping us balanced and capable of fulfilling our maximum potential on this world, creating a perfect circle.

On Shavuos we read Megillas Rus - a story of kindness. What happened? Rus, a widow and a convert, was collecting the leftover gleanings of wheat in the field of Boaz with the rest of the poor people of the city. Boaz saw how modest she was in the way in which she bent down to pick up the gleanings and realized how special she was. He then took her for a wife and generations later Dovid Hamelech came from this union.

But what does this story have to do with Shavuos, a day in which we received the Torah? Part of accepting the Torah is seeing Hashem's hand in everything - Hashgacha Pratis. For instance, a couple of years ago, my Rebbe was having financial strains. At that same time, his daughter in Eretz Yisrael gave birth to a child. My rebbe knew his wife needed to go to Eretz Yisrael to see their new grandchild and to help out their daughter. It was not so easy; booking a ticket at the last minute can be very expensive, so when my Rebbe's wife called him on the phone stating she booked the ticket but wouldn't tell him the price so as not to upset him, he knew it would be a big pinch on his wallet. A couple of years before that, my Rebbe had trouble filing a tax return with the IRS, but had completed it in the end. Now, that trouble was about to pay off, literally. That same day that my Rebbe's wife booked the ticket, my Rebbe received a check in the mail from the IRS stating that he had overpaid on his taxes. It was a check for $1,542.00. My Rebbe excited, called his wife and asked her how much the plane ticket was. She had refused at first, not wanting to upset him, but when he told her about the check from the IRS, she gave in. She told him the ticket cost her $1,542.00 - Hashgacha Pratis.

Another example of hashgacha pratis is the story of Rabbi Aryeh Levine. Rabbi Levine was a very holy man and he took care of everyone like a loving grandfather. Once, there was a meeting between Reb Aryeh and Shmuel Tamir, a former Israeli justice minister. They got into an argument over abortion. Tamir said he thought abortion was okay because there are so many parents who aren't ready to be parents and these children would become troubled. Better to kill the embryo than to raise a troubled child. He then asked Reb Aryeh what his opinion was on abortion. Reb Aryeh answered with a story. He said, once there was a married couple that attended university together. They already had a daughter and were pregnant with another child. They didn't feel they could handle the stresses of parenthood and all the financial troubles that it entails. Therefore, they asked Reb Aryeh what to do. He said three things. One: The mitzvah is to have a boy and a girl, so it would be a mitzvah to have this second child. Two: Abortion is against the Torah. And Three: Nothing happens by chance (Hashgacha Pratis), Hashem made you pregnant for a reason and he will take care of you accordingly. Tamir was intrigued by the story and then asked what happened of the child. Did he become troubled and a delinquent or did he make it? Reb Aryeh answered that he made it and is a high official in the Israeli government. Tamir asked who it was, surely he knew him. Reb Aryeh answered, "That child is you". Everything happens for a reason. Because Shmuel Tamir's parents met Reb Aryeh, his life was saved.

So what does Hashgacha Pratis have to do with Megillas Rus? Boaz had tied his life to the rock (Torah) and through the Torah he acted accordingly. You see, everything happens for a reason! Boaz kept the halacha of leaving over the gleanings of wheat in his field for the poor. Because he kept this mitzvah, Hashem brought Rus to the field in order for him to discover her there and marry her. Subsequently, Dovid Hamelech came from this union and G-d willing, Moshiach will too.

We must all take something out of the story of Rus on this chag of Shavuos. Look at where we are now. Look how far we have come as a people. Recognize the miracle that has occurred to you on this very day. You're a free man, allowed to stay up all night learning Hashem's holy Torah without persecution. Think of all the generations before you in which they had to hide in order to perform the basic mitzvos. You are here, on this world, alive, for a reason. Follow Hashem's guiding hand and fulfill your maximum potential this Shavuos. And through our learning, may we merit our own matan Torah (receiving of the Torah) and see the descendant of Rus and Boaz, Moshiach, bimheyra viyameinu amein!