I would like to share something that Rabbi David Ozeri) said this past Shabbat at Seuda Shelishit in the Yad Yosef Torah Center.
As Parashat Behukotay’s haftara talks about Bitachon, Rabbi Ozeri discussed this topic. He started off with a quote from Rav Pam, who said that Every person has to have the baseline of Bitachon. Of course, there are many levels of reliance on Hashem, to the extent that you can feel guaranteed to get what you need, but he says that everybody has to have that baseline of Bitachon, which is that whatever happens to me is exactly what needs to happen to me, and Hashem is in control. That baseline Bitachon is what gives a person Menuchat HaNefesh/peace of mind and takes away worry. Of course, there is a higher level of Bitachon, where you get what you want, but that is a different story. In order to live a calm, relaxed life, never feeling worried or stressed out, you need to have that baseline of Bitachon, which is a job in itself.
He went on to say that throughout his life, he has seen many Gedolim, and they’re never stressed out. They are always calm, regardless of their challenges.
He then told us a shocking story, that he heard firsthand.
About two weeks ago, a great rabbi, Chacham Eliyahu Abba Shaul, the only child of Chacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul, suddenly passed away at the age of 70 from a fatal heart attack.
Rabbi Ozeri was in Israel at the time, and he went to pay his respects. Rebbitzen Abba Shaul told Rabbi Ozeri that her husband had passed away in an unbelievable way and her son told Rabbi Ozeri what he witnessed.
It was a Monday morning and his father asked him for a nail clipper. Chacham Eliyahu had never cut his nails on a Monday before. He always cut them on Friday afternoon, as many people do. His son brought him the nail clipper (he was obviously feeling weak, as he didn’t get him himself) and he cut his nails.
Then the Rabbi asked his son to bring him a bowl and a cup, to wash his hands.
Next, he asked his son to bring him a Mishna Berura Vol 1, and he opened it to the fourth chapter in Shulchan Aruch, where he read the following Halacha: If you cut your fingernails and you don’t wash your hands, you’ll be fearful for one day and you won’t know what’s bothering you.” He told his son that the opposite is true. If you cut your nails, and wash your hands, you have nothing to worry about.
He told his son, “l have a fear. I am a little concerned about something. So now that I cut my nails and washed my hands, I have nothing to worry about. I am not afraid, I’m not afraid.“ Then he took a piece of paper, made some scribble in the middle, and in each corner of the paper, he wrote, “I am not afraid, I am not afraid I’m not afraid.” He folded it up and put it in his pocket. Then he collapsed and died.
What is the meaning of the story? I have no idea. Rabbi Ozeri explains that he obviously had some premonition that he was nervous about, and that is why he went with what it says (I don’t know where he got this segula from) that if cutting your nails and washing your hands will get rid of a fear, he was no longer afraid. That was it. He did what the Halacha said, and he was OK.
Rabbi Ozeri brought this extreme example of Bitachon, something he witnessed. There’s nothing more fearful to people than the fear of death. But the Rabbi said,”I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid.” That’s a tremendous strength of an Adam Gadol. The meaning behind the story is definitely above my understanding, but Rabbi Ozeri said it over in a very passionate way. It was such a shocking story that he heard it from the family directly. His widow told me a shortened version of the story when I visited her after the shiva, without going into details.
We should only hear of Besorot Tovot. Amen