21 Mar VAYIKRA: EVERYTHING IS FROM HASHEM

The parashah begins
(1:1), “Vaykira El Moshe
Va’yidaber Hashem
Eilav” He called to
Moshe and Hashem said
to him.” It would read
easier had it , “Vayikra
Hashem El Moshe
Va’yidaber Eilav”
,stated “Hashem called
to Moshe and said to
him.”
The Beis Avraham zt’l
explains that the Torah
writes the word Vayikra
with a small alef, to hint
that the word should be
understood as if it were
written Vayikar, “it
happened.” Thus, the
pasuk can be read, “Vayikar El Moshe
Va’yidaber Hashem Eilav”, Whatever happened
to Moshe, Moshe understood that Hashem was
speaking to him.”
Moshe Rabbeinu went through hard times, but
he knew that it didn’t happen by chance. And
through these episodes, Moshe attained the
highest levels of emunah.
The Chasan Sofer zt’l (grandson of the Chasam
Sofer zt’l) says that Moshe Rabbeinu suffered
many hardships in his lifetime. When he was
three months old, he was cast into the Nile
River. Then he was brought up distant from his

family, in the home of the wicked Pharaoh.
After killing the Egyptian man, he had to flee to
Midyan. Even after Moshe became the leader
of Bnei Yisrael, there were times when Moshe
feared for his life. As he said (Shemos 17:4) “ A
little bit more “and they will stone me.” But all
of this was for his benefit because these made
Moshe the greatest navi and tzaddik. He was in
heaven with Hashem three times, forty days
each time! He received the Torah from Hashem!
He attained madreigos that no other human
being ever achieved. The hardships he endured
undoubtedly played a pivotal role in bringing
him to this level.
Each one of us also goes through challenging
moments in his life, but they are all from
Hashem, for our good. The Mabit (Beis Elokim,
Shaar HaTefillah 16) writes, “In our generation,
in galus, a person must know that whatever
happens to him, even when he stubs his finger…
it is all from Hashem. Hashem’s hashgachah
over us in galus is greater than when we lived
on our land. Only, now Hashem’s hashgachah is
concealed, to the extent that sinners and rebels
can think that some events don’t come from
Hashem. However, the wise person understands
that whatever happens to us in galus, for the
general community, and the individual, is all by
Hashem’s hashgachah.”
The Rosh (Orchos Chaim 69) “Retzei Kaasher
Yirtzeh Yotzercha” “Want what your Creator
wants.” Because whatever happens to you is
destined by Hashem’s, and therefore, they are
indeed the best for you.

A husband came to Rebbe Hirsh of Riminov
zt’l, and said, “My wife is in labor; she’s a
Mikshe Leileid. The doctors say that if she
doesn’t give birth soon, her life is in danger.”
Rebbe Hirsh Riminover was deep in thought
for a few moments, and then he said, “Give me
twenty gold coins, and your wife will give
birth.”
The man replied, “I’m poor. How can I get
twenty gold coins?”
The Rebbe replied, “You can sell your wife’s
jewelry, and you can sell the furniture in your
home. That will get you close. For the rest, you
can borrow money, or you can collect money
from the Yidden of this city.”
The man left the Rebbe’s room, brokenhearted.
The Divrei Chaim of Tzanz zt’l (who was
present at this incident) quickly caught up with
the poor man and said, “I will daven for your
wife, and everything will be well. And you
don’t have to pay me anything.”
Indeed, the Divrei Chaim davened, and the wife
gave birth to a son.
But a week later, the mother died.
The Divrei Chaim lamented, “Why did I get
involved in Rebbe Hirsh Riminover’s matters?
I saw (through ruach hakodesh) that the
husband doesn’t need to pay so much money to
merit salvation. But Rebbe Hirsh saw further.
He saw that it was decreed that this woman die
and that with a pidyon of twenty gold coins, her
life would be saved. Because “Ani Chashuv

Kmeis” a poor person is considered as if he is
dead, and the poverty and great expense would
be in exchange for her death.”
This story teaches us that even when something
seems bad, it is really for the good.
Let’s not be short- sighted and look only at the
present moment. Keep in mind the bigger
picture and believe that everything we go
through is from Hashem, for our good.
A Holocaust survivor with many questions on
the way Hashem runs the world came to the
Chazon Ish zt’l. The Chazon Ish took a Gemara
and asked the older man to explain a Tosfos.
The man studied the Tosfos, offered an
explanation, but the Chazon Ish showed him
that his answer was incorrect.
The Chazon Ish told him, “If you aren’t even
able to understand a Tosfos, how do you expect
to understand Hashem’s ways?”
Another time, the Chazon Ish compared our
limited vision to a young child who knows how
to learn Mishnayos but still can’t learn Gemara.
Similarly, people can be wise, know many
things, but that doesn’t mean that they are smart
enough to understand Hashem’s ways.
We can’t understand Hashem’s ways, but we
can believe in Hashem and believe that
everything is for the good.