Community Magazine February 2019

18 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Fixtures Faucets Hardware accessories 1663 coney island avenue Brooklyn NY 11230 Monday–wednesday 9am–5:30pm thursday 9am–7pm sunday 11am–5pm Valet Parking appointments welcome 718.787.1000 www.homeandstone.com Home & stone toward the tail of the big fish. It almost looks as if it swam straight into the mouth of the big fish. We would have expected to see ‘head to head’ and ‘tail to tail,’ as though he were fleeing the pursuing fish.” The rabbi smiled and explained to his students the following lesson. We have a fundamental principle of bitahon. A person must put his trust in Gd. When you do so, Gd is with you, helping, guiding, and protecting. But Gd demands exclusivity. If one puts his faith in something else, even if he also believes in Gd, then Gd says, “Fine, I leave you in your own hands. See how far you get.” For example, many people put their faith in their job as the source of parnasa . Picture someone who has been working at the same company for twenty years. Each month he gets his paycheck on the same day. He looks forward to his pension fund and takes comfort from the various insurance plans offered by his employer. One day, all of a sudden, his company declares bankruptcy and informs him that they don’t have the money for his pension and other obligations. Yes, he believed in Gd all these years - but in other areas. In the area of parnasa, he put his trust in this job. Finally, he realizes the company is not Gd. Gd is giving him a message: “You were fooled. You thought the company was giving you parnasa . No, it was Me.” Therewas once a famous billionairewho said in a press conference, “One thing I know for sure. I have somuchmoney, I am certain that I will never die of starvation.” Just a few days later they found him dead, locked in one of his vaults. He had entered without anybody knowing, and the door shut behind him. The coroner’s report read, “Cause of death: Starvation.” Gd was telling him: “You trust your money. See how much you can eat when left alone with your money.” Other people put their trust in government. They believe the government will solve all their problems, as well as all the ills of society. Inevitably, the government lets them down, and they finally realize they cannot put their trust there. It’s important to understand that Gd’s actions are not a punishment. Gd is not taking revenge. He wants us to learn what happens if we trade him in for a cheap substitute. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way. The Lesson Gd Teaches Us Let’s return to the fish story. That little fish, as he swims along, has a strategy. He says, “Gd, I don’t need you to protect me from what’s in front of me. I have my own eyes and I can watch out for danger coming at me. If I see a big fish, I’ll know how to escape. But I don’t have a rearview mirror. Gd, please cover my back.” So, Gd teaches the fish (and all of us) a lesson: “Where you trust Me you’ll never get harmed.” The little fish is never eaten from behind, because that’s where he relies on Gd. But where he trusts his own eyes, in the front, he falls every time. He swims right into the mouth of that big fish. Gd is sending the message, “Don’t think you can live without me.” לעילוי נשמתם של משה בן עליזה, יצחק הלל בן עליזה, והנרייט לאה בת עליזה, דוד בן גילה, רבקה בת גילה, יהושע בן גילה, משה בן גילה, שרה בת גילה, יעקב בן גילה, ואליאנה בת גילה. ולרפואה שלמה ליוסף בן אהובה מסעודה, שילת אהובה בת עליזה, ודניאל בן עליזה.