Welcome to the daily chizuk (encouragement). Hashem is so kind. Even when He has to issue a decree on a person, He also sends a means for salvation. We know Chazal (the Sages) teach us that Hashem is makdim refuah lamakah: before the maka (blow) even comes, the remedy is there waiting. Sometimes the remedy is obvious, and sometimes it's not so obvious. We have to pray to Hashem to open our eyes and our minds to see and understand the path to salvation that He has already prepared for us.
Rabbi Binyomin Pruzansky told a story that gives us some insight into how Hashem prepares remedies for difficult situations and how He makes people aware of using them. There was a Rabbi Katz who was in charge of distributing tzedakah (charity) for a certain organization, and one day a bride-to-be came in to see him with tears in her eyes. She explained that she was an Israeli girl who had been orphaned at a young age. She was raised by a nice family in America. She'd just finished seminary and gotten engaged. She said, “I know it's hard, but I know it's hard. It sounds like a happy time in my life, but my American family has no money, and neither do my relatives in Israel. The whole expense of the wedding is on me, and I have nowhere to turn. I'm so worried I can't even sleep at night. I just heard about your organization. Please help me, Rabbi.”
The Rabbi told her, “Please wait in the waiting room while I verify your story.” He saw that it was true and sent out an email requesting help. He told the girl, “I don't have enough money to help you right now, but I emailed all of my contacts. There are a lot of generous people, and hopefully someone will come through. If you want, you can wait a while. I'm going to go out and get some lunch.” On his way out, his secretary stopped him. She said, “There's another girl here crying, and she said she needs to speak to you right away.” So Rabbi Katz came back to his desk, and the girl started her heartbreaking story. She said, “I've been having bad headaches for the past few weeks, and the doctors just took an MRI, and they found that it's a brain tumor.” “I'm so sorry to hear,” said the Rabbi. “Do you need me to recommend a doctor?” She said, “No. I'm here because I heard a CD of yours in which you said that chesed, doing kindness, can save a person's life. I know this organization does all kinds of chasadim (acts of kindness), and I thought maybe you have something that I could do.”
The Rabbi told her, “It takes a gadol (great Torah scholar) to know what exactly you have to do, and I'm not a gadol, but I could tell you something I once heard from the Steipler. There's a beraita (early rabbinic teaching) which lists that could benefit a person even in this world, and some of them are visiting the sick, providing for a bride, and taking care of the dead. The Steipler asked, ‘Why is providing for the bride listed in between visiting the sick and taking care of the dead?’ He answered that the mitzvah (commandment) of helping a bride can stand between illness and death. This could be the merit that you need, and it's an amazing Hashgacha Peratit (Divine providence). I have a bride-to-be who just came. She desperately needs help, and she's in the waiting room right now.”
The girl responded, “Perfect. Can you call my parents to raise the money?” The Rabbi told her, “No, it has to be you. I'll give you ideas on how to do it, but it has to be you.” She said, “Okay, Rabbi.” And the Rabbi told the kallah (bride) to come in. Now both girls with uncertain futures were standing face to face. The Rabbi told the kallah, “This girl is going to help you raise the money for your wedding. But there's one condition. When you're standing under the chuppah (wedding canopy), you're not going to raise the money. When you're standing under the chuppah, you have to focus all of your prayers on her getting the refuah shelemah (complete recovery), because she's facing a life-threatening illness.” The girl said, “Of course, thank you very much.” And the fundraising campaign began. The young lady made raffles, events, phone calls, and appeals. In just a few weeks, she raised $30,000. Not only did she raise the money, but she found the time to step into the role of the mother of the bride. She helped the kallah shop for housewares. She even got her the perfect wedding gown.
The night of the wedding came, and the bride prayed under the chuppah with such sincerity and emotion. She said, “Master of the world, please heal her. She took such good care of me, your daughter. Now please take care of her. Father, Father, please hear my voice.” A few weeks passed, and Rabbi Katz received a call from this girl who raised the money. She said, “Rabbi, what else could I do?” The Rabbi said, “You did your part. It's in Hashem's hands.” She said, “Should I ask for another MRI? They didn't want to do one right after the wedding because they said the treatments couldn't have done anything in such a short amount of time. But maybe now they will.” The Rabbi said, “Yeah, go try.” So she went to the hospital, and again they refused. But this time, she wouldn't take no for an answer, and they finally approved it. As the huge machine enclosed her head, she prayed to Hashem for good news. The results had the doctors scratching their heads. There was no trace of the tumor. “It's a miracle,” one doctor said. “That's the only possible explanation.” Hashem gave these girls tough situations, but He had their salvations prepared, and He caused them to meet and help each other out. Have a great day.