אַמאָל אִיז יעֶדעֶר וואָרט וואָס מ'האָט געֶהעֶרט געֶוועֶן אַ תּוֹרָה, אוּן יעֶדעֶר זאַךְ וואָס מ'האָט געֶזעֶהן — אַ הוֹרָאָה אִין עֲבוֹדָה אוּן הַדְרָכָה.
There was a time when every word that one heard was a teaching, and every event that one saw was a directive for one’s Divine service and personal guidance.
A Pearl to Cherish
Everything that takes place, even the fluttering of a leaf in the wind, is controlled by Divine Providence.1 Indeed, as the Rebbe Rayatz relates, “The Baal Shem Tov teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, arranges sets of circumstances of various kinds in order to implement the Divine Providence that governs a minute creation. For a fallen leaf that has been rolling about…, or a bit of straw from a stalk that someone used when thatching a cottage roof a few years ago, must now be moved from their places to somewhere else. To accomplish this a stormwind breaks out, shaking heaven and earth in the middle of a warm and sunny day — and thereby brings to fulfillment the Divine Providence that governs the little stray leaf and the old wisp of straw.”2
Now, the Divine Providence that monitors the exploits of a mere leaf surely monitors the sights and sounds that are to be encountered by man, the nucleus of G‑d’s creation. And with regard to man, our Sages taught that one should say,3 “I was created to serve my Creator.” Putting the two concepts together implies that everything that happens to man is a Divinely-inspired lesson, intended to further the purpose of his creation — the service of G‑d.
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