In 1979, Miriam Swerdlov attended a Chabad-sponsored convention for women and girls in Detroit. After the inspiring event, while waiting to board the plane for home, Miriam and about twenty other women learned that the flight was canceled due to a snowstorm.
The group rushed to a payphone and called Chabad headquarters in New York to report on the delay. The leader of the group, Miriam Popack, spoke with the Rebbe’s secretary and told him that they were stuck in Detroit.
“He put us on hold, and a minute later he came back on the line. ‘The Rebbe doesn’t understand the word “stuck,”’ he said.” Mrs. Popack proceeded to explain what the word stuck meant, to which the secretary replied, “The Rebbe knows what stuck means. The Rebbe says that a Jew is never stuck.”
Caught off guard by the Rebbe’s response, the women immediately got the message and rose to the occasion. They spread throughout the airport and began handing out Shabbat candles to the Jewish women they met. As a result: “There are women and families today all over the United States lighting Shabbat candles because we got ‘stuck’ in Detroit.”1
Purposeful Pitstops
Every path is filled with setbacks and detours. But even the unexpected pitstop has a place in your search for purpose. Often such deviations in life are perceived as distractions and detractions from the ultimate purpose to which we are committed. Feeling ourselves lost in a tangent, we may resist, react, or reset in an attempt to reclaim our carefully curated trajectory.
But according to Judaism, even setbacks and detours are governed by Divine Providence, which never introduces anything superfluous or unnecessary into our lives. Seen through this lens, we arrive at a crucial realization—while it does occur, most lives don’t consist of one mission alone, but of various Divinely appointed tasks, some of which are sought out, and others that emerge from circumstances outside of our control. These are events and experiences that we may never seek out or want, but they are, nevertheless, sent to us by G‑d. Hidden within these Divinely orchestrated encounters are sparks that are part of our soul’s journey, despite their apparent randomness.
To paraphrase the Rebbe’s words:
There are two types of “sparks of holiness” that a person redeems in the course of his life. The first are those that he consciously pursues, having recognized the potential for sanctity and goodness in an object or event in his life. The second are those that pursue him: Opportunities that he would never have realized on his own—indeed, he may even do everything in his power to avoid them—since they represent potentials so lofty that they cannot be identified by his humanly finite perception. So his redemption of these “sparks” can come about only unwittingly, when his involvement with them is forced upon him by circumstances beyond his control.”2 3 4
In short, there are sparks we pursue, and there are sparks that pursue us.
Divine Detour
The following story demonstrates how awareness of Divine Providence can transform moments when our chosen trajectory is obstructed, allowing us to find hidden purpose and potential for positive impact no matter where our path takes us.
Each day, the Rebbe’s wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, would go out with a driver for fresh air at a park in Long Island. One day, as they neared the park, they found their regular route closed off due to road work and were forced to take an alternate route. As they drove along trying to find their way, they passed a woman on the side of the road crying and protesting. When they stopped at the traffic light, the Rebbetzin turned to the driver and said: “I heard a woman crying. Can you go back and see what that was about?”
They turned around and drove back to the beginning of the street, where they saw a woman standing on the curb weeping, while workers were carrying furniture from a house and loading them onto the truck of the county marshal. The Rebbetzin asked the driver to find out what was happening. The marshal explained that the woman had not paid her rent for many months and was now being evicted from her home.
The Rebbetzin inquired how much the woman owed, and if the marshal would accept a personal check. The sum that the family owed was approximately $6,700. The marshal said that he had no problem accepting a personal check, as long as he confirmed with the bank that the check was covered. He also said that if he received the payment, his men would carry everything back into the house. Then, to the driver’s surprise, “She took out her checkbook, wrote out a check for the full amount, and asked me to give it to the marshal.” The Rebbetzin then urged the driver to quickly drive away before the woman realized what had transpired.
Amazed by what he had seen, the Rebbetzin’s driver could not contain himself and asked the Rebbetzin what had prompted her to give such a large sum to a total stranger.
“Once, when I was a young girl, my father took me for a walk in the park. He sat me down on a bench and began telling me about Divine Providence. ‘Every time’—said Father—‘something causes us to deviate from our normal routine, there is a Divinely ordained reason for this; every time we see something unusual, there is a purpose in why we’ve been shown this sight.’
“Today,” continued the Rebbetzin, “when I saw the detour sign instructing us to deviate from our regular route, I remembered my father’s words and immediately thought to myself: We drive by this street every day; suddenly, the street is closed off, and we’re sent to a different street. What is the purpose of this? How is this connected to me? Then I heard the sound of a woman crying and screaming. I realized that we had been sent along this route for a purpose.”5
A Man on a Mission
There is no place or situation devoid of G‑d.
Indeed, every step is a destination of its own. Every phase of our journey, even our detours, is meant to bring us exactly to where we need to be, if we would but remain present. This is the essence of Divine Providence—sanctifying each moment by granting it ultimate significance.
This perspective is especially helpful when we find ourselves lost or knocked off course. For it is then that we are most tempted to disregard our immediate surroundings, as our mind can be elsewhere.
In the mid-1970s, during the early years of R. Yisroel and Vivi Deren’s shlichut in Stamford, Connecticut, one of their children became ill and was in the hospital for an extended period. With other children to care for, including a baby, one parent had to always be at the hospital while the other remained at home. It was a trying time for everyone, and getting anything done beyond taking care of the family was very difficult.
At a certain point, R. Deren called the Rebbe’s secretary to issue a report of his activities, as was his custom. He humbly reported that because of his son’s condition, he had spent almost all of his time at the hospital, to the neglect of his usual shlichut activities.
The line went quiet. A short while later, the secretary returned and said: “The Rebbe asked me to convey that certainly the Eibershter (G‑d) didn’t make such a thing happen so that you should suffer or be anguished because of it. Surely you have a shlichut to do there; go find it and do it.”6
R. Deren took the Rebbe’s lesson to heart and immediately began reaching out to Jews throughout the hospital—wrapping tefillin, giving inspiration, and providing comfort for those in need. In that one conversation, his view of his situation was transformed. Instead of seeing his unplanned stay in the hospital as a diversion from his shlichut, he internalized the Rebbe’s message that “every moment and every situation is a part of your shlichut; your Divine purpose.”7
Midlife Metamorphosis
This was a lesson impressed upon Micha Peled, who at the age of forty-four was diagnosed with a severe and malignant cancer and was advised to travel from his home in Israel to seek medical care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, which specialized in treating his particular variety of melanoma.
Following his doctor’s advice, he met R. Avrohom Korf, the director of Chabad of Florida, who offered to hire him to work at the local yeshivah. In addition to providing an income, the job ensured he would have health insurance in the United States.
Amid treatments, Micha began visiting the yeshivah. He was warmly received by the dean, R. Leibel Schapiro, who introduced him to the students, invited him to learn with them, and welcomed him into the fold. Having settled in Miami, Micha eventually made a trip to New York with his wife so that he could visit the Rebbe as he had on past occasions to receive dollars for charity, and in this case to receive a blessing prior to his next course of treatment.
When his turn came to speak with the Rebbe, he mentioned his association with the Miami yeshivah, drawing from the Rebbe an awe-striking comment, “Do you think you came to Miami only for medical reasons? Know that the real reason you came is to strengthen the yeshivah, to have a good influence on the young students, and to inspire them with your love for life, your passion, your positive spirit, and your optimism.”
The Rebbe then gave a blessing that Micha would emerge from his life-threatening condition in good health.
A few years later, after making great strides in his studies, Micha traveled to Israel to be tested for and receive rabbinical ordination. He subsequently held several rabbinic positions in Miami and later Israel, where he settled in the hills of Mateh Binyamin to serve as the rabbi of Beit Horon. Reflecting on the winding path of his life, he would observe, “It was the Rebbe who set me on the path toward the rabbinate when he encouraged me to go back to yeshivah at the age of forty-four.”8
Here we see a beautiful example of the extraordinary possibilities hidden within every seeming setback in life. Thanks to the Rebbe’s insistence that every apparent upset is also a potential gateway to finding the sparks that animate our unique purpose, this man’s illness became the impetus for his transformation into a rabbi and spiritual beacon for others.
Permanent Station
Our final story speaks to those times in life when we find ourselves in between assignments or in transition, neither here nor there.
R. Avrohom Glick, a young rabbinic student from Melbourne, married a teacher from Worcester, Massachusetts, and on the Rebbe’s instructions joined his wife there, assuming the role of organizing youth activities in the community. After a few years, a position opened up back in Australia, and he was invited to relocate to Melbourne by the Chabad emissary there. He asked for and received the Rebbe’s approval and blessings.
However, once he began preparing for the move to Australia, he began to feel as if he were just treading water in Worcester. He had already wound up his activities there, but as he had not yet moved to Australia, he felt neither fully here nor there. He had yet to depart, but his mind was elsewhere.
During a yechidut, he confided his state of mind to the Rebbe, who replied:
“In the Torah we find that during the forty years the Jews were wandering in the wilderness, they would sometimes set up the Tabernacle just for one day and then take it apart, which was obviously a very difficult job. However, for that day, it was considered permanent—they were in that place as though they were going to be there permanently. This was pertinent to many laws.
“Therefore, when a Jew finds himself in a place—even for only one day—he must treat it as though he were there permanently, and not as if he is there with a packed suitcase, ready to go.”9
We are never just “passing through.” We are always exactly where G‑d needs us to be. We must always be mindful and ready to fulfill our Divine purpose in every place and time.
Obstacles or Opportunities?
How do you handle situations that disrupt your schedule? How do you deal with obstacles in your path? When plans do not go your way, what then? It is so easy to become disoriented when our lives take an unexpected turn. We know where we are going, and anything that veers from that course is met with resistance and even rejection. We are supposed to be in control, and we know best.
But what if we saw life in a different light? What if there is more going on in our lives and in the world than we are aware of? By cultivating an appreciation for the role of Divine Providence in our lives, we can discover the hidden meaning and holy opportunity within any situation in which we find ourselves. Remember, every step has a purpose, every setback is an essential part of your story, and every detour contains sparks waiting to be redeemed and uplifted.
Quiz Yourself
Do the Thought Exercise
Think about the fact that we are never just “passing through;” we are always exactly where G‑d needs us to be. How does this change the way you view your life circumstances?
Take the Challenge
Identify a current setback you’re facing. Now challenge yourself to let go of the frustration and recognize it as part of your Divinely determined purpose. How can you utilize this setback for the greater good?
Join the Discussion