28 May BECHUKOSAI: IT IS ALL FROM ABOVE

The Torah writes the
tochachah (the curses)
twice. Once is in this
week’s parashah, and
again in parashas Ki
Savo. One difference
between the two
tochachos is that this
week’s parashah
contains some words of
comfort to the Jewish
nation. For example, it
states (26:44-45),
“Despite all this, while
they will be in in the
land of their enemies, I
will not have been revolted by them nor will
I have rejected them to obliterate them…
because I am Hashem, their G-d…” Whereas,
the tochachah in parashas Ki Savo doesn’t
include any comforting words.
The Chasam Sofer zt’l explains that the
tochachah of parashas Ki Savo doesn’t need
comforting words because Hashem’s name is
mentioned with almost every affliction. As it
states (28:21-25) “Hashem will attach the
plague to you…Hashem will strike you…
Hashem will cause you to be struck down
before your enemies,” and so on. And when
one remembers that all the hardships are
from Hashem, that grants him comfort.

Reb Michoel Ber Weismandl zt’l saved
many people from the Holocaust, and he had
plans to save tens of thousands more Yidden,
but cruel people prevented him. Devastated,
Reb Michoel Ber told Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak
of Lubavitch zy’a (the Rayatz) about it. The
Rebbe replied, “And Who did all of this?”
The Rebbe reminded him that ultimately,
what occurred was decreed from heaven.
Although, the cruel people will be punished
severely for their sin, nevertheless, what
happened was bashert. Reb Michoel Ber said
that the Rebbe’s words changed his entire
outlook.
Chol HaMoed Succos, Rebbe Shlomo Leib
Lenchana zt’l was leading a tish and he was
telling chassidim the following ideas: “The
entire world isn’t worth a krechtz. Our
destiny is Olam HaBa. Therefore, we
shouldn’t be upset about worldly matters.
They are trivial. We should keep our focus on
the goal, on Olam HaBa.”
Just then, a bench collapsed from the weight
of the many people standing on it. Some of
the chasidim fell and were injured, and also
the Rebbe was hit and got injured from the
broken bench. The Rebbe emitted a krechtz
from the pain.
One of the chassidim asked, “Why is the

Rebbe krechtzing? Didn’t the Rebbe say this
world isn’t worth a krechtz?”
The Rebbe replied, “The world isn’t worth
a krechtz. But when it hurts, one shouts and
krechtzes from pain.” The Beis Yisrael of
Gur zt’l repeated this story and explained
that it is a natural reflex and reaction to
krechtz and shout when one is in pain. But
even then, his mind and intellect should
remember that this world isn’t so important
that we should moan over it. Furthermore,
we have emunah that everything is for the
good. Feelings remain feelings, and when
one is in pain, he shouts; nevertheless, deep
in his heart, he should remember that it is all
for the good.
Yaakov Avinu wanted to tell his children
when the galus will end, but when his
children arrived, the Shechinah left him, and
he was unable to tell them. The Sfas Emes
zt’l (Vayichi 5631) explains that Yaakov
wanted to tell them that Hashem will be with
them, even in galus, but he wasn’t allowed to
reveal that to his children because if they
knew that there would be no galus. All
troubles disappear when we know that
everything comes from our Father, who loves
us.
Nevertheless, the Sfas Emes writes that
although we aren’t able to know that

everything is from Hashem, we can believe
it, and this belief gives us solace.
Doctors told Reb Leibke Glauberman zt’l of
Yerushalayim that his legs need to be
amputated. After the operation, one doctor
admitted to Reb Leibke’s children that they
had made a mistake. The amputation wasn’t
necessary after all.
The children were very angry with the
doctors. They made their father lame for no
reason. They repeated to their father what
they had heard.
Reb Leibke replied, “The doctors erred;
they shouldn’t have amputated. But what
happened to my legs wasn’t a mistake. In my
younger years, I heard from the Yanukah
(Rebbe Yisrael of Stolin zt’l) that to say, ‘if
only things were different’ is apikorses
because it couldn’t have been different.”