Today's class, is dedicated Leilui Nishmat Yitzhak ben Chana, Mr. Irving Missry a’h, whose 24th yarzheit is today. It may it be an illui for his neshama.
The Bet Halevi has been talking about the concept that Hashem’s ways are hidden, and he quotes the famous line, “Teshuat Hashem k’heref Eyin/Hashem’s salvation can come as instantaneously as the blink of an eye.
He quotes from Iyov, “Even if they're killing me, I still will yearn and hope for Him.”
He also quotes the famous Gemara in Masechet Berachot that says, “Even if a sharp knife is on his neck, he should not give up, nor refrain from calling out to God's mercy.”
I once heard Rav Yaakov Hillel, may he live and be well, explain why it says, “Even a sharp sword?” Why does it add the word “sharp?” Why not just say Even if a sword is on your neck? He quoted a Rabbi Anteby from Damascus who was imprisoned during one of the blood libels.
They were trying to use psychological torture on him, and they put his head in a guillotine to have his head chopped off. The blade came down, but it was a blunt-edged blade and therefore did not kill him. At that point he said, “Now I understand the why the Gemara says, “a sharp sword,” because, of course, when the sword is not sharp, then we can hope for Hashem's mercy, as in this case where the dull sword came down.
But even when it's a sharp sword, we should not refrain from calling out for God’s mercy.
And as he has done before, the Bet Halevi goes to history for sources. When we hear these stories, they almost, lehavdil, seem like fairytales. But he quotes a pasuk in Shemuel, “God kills and brings back to life. He brings someone down to the lowest levels and brings him up.”
And he says, “Remember the story of Yonah.” Yonah was in the belly of the whale, in the depths of the ocean, and God pulled Yonah out of the depths. That story isn’t just there as a story of Yonah HaNavi, but to teach us all a lesson.
Even if we're in a situation that seems hopeless, Hashem has a way, and He can pull us out.
The Yerushalmi in Berachot (chapter 9) brings out from Yonah, the following, A human protector can try to get his relative released from arrest, and he can try to defend him in court, but once a person's been thrown into the depths of the ocean, there's nothing more the human protector can do. We can recall the submersible accident of a few months ago. The prophet Yonah was thrown into the water and Hashem was able to save him. This story of Yonah teaches us an important lesson. Man is limited and there's only so much he can do, but Hashem is limitless, and
He can save one from any situation.
Let us strengthen ourselves in our bitachon, and reliance on Hashem and His abilities for those hostages that are still behind Eretz Yisrael, as bleak as their situation may be. You might say, ‘Okay, women and children… men, yes, but a soldier….? Those are, has v’shalom, the hardest ones to get out.’
But no. Hashem took Yonah out, and He can get them out, and get us out of any situation. That’s possibly why we read the story of Yonah on Yom Kippur, which is the time of the final judgment- to tell us that even if, Has v’shalom, a person is in a situation that seems so bleak, and he's like Yonah, deep under the water with no one able to save him in a natural way, God is there as well. Even in the depths, Hashem is there. The Bet Halevi takes the well-known story of Yonah and learns a lesson in Hashem’s ability to save us, even from situations that seem helpless.
Have a wonderful day.