Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Coincidence, I think Not!

One of the first discussions I had with Rabbi Vogel when I ventured into Chabad of Delaware was about coincidence. I said it was very coincidental that after all these years I had to come to Delaware to discover my Jewish roots and learn about my people. Immediately he said, “Shloma Yakov nothing is coincidental. All things that happen are G-d’s will, you just don’t always know why, at that particular moment, they happen. Sometimes it takes days, months, years before you see how and why things happen. Sometimes you go a lifetime and never truly understand, but NOTHING is left to coincidence!”

As my spiritual journey has unfolded I’ve had myriad experiences that I would have previously chocked up to shear coincidence. However, as my spiritual view of the world evolved, so did my view of G-d’s direct impact on my life.

One such incident occurred after a very special Shabbos spent at Chabad. I was there to participate in the Bar Mitzvah of the Rabbis' oldest son, Levy Yitzhak Vogel. Family members from around the world descended on Wilmington, Delaware to celebrate young Levy’s special day. If you’ve never participated in a Bar Mitzvah at Chabad, you don’t know what you’ve been missing! Energetic dovening, delicious food, l’chaim, dancing, singing and Fabrining. All combine for an experience that electrifies one’s Neshoma and makes one proud and thankful to be a Jew.

Rabbi Vogel’s oldest brother David told those in attendance that the power of the Fabrigin is enormous. He told stories of miraculous events that have occurred throughout the course of time after evening-long Fabrigin with the Lubavitch Rebbe. I remember sitting, listening and thinking, “These are inspirational stories but I am not quite sure I’ve seen many miracles in my life.”

I now realize that it all depends how you define miracle. If you’re waiting to see the Delaware river divide into 12 parts or for manna to fall from the sky each morning, with a double portion on Fridays, you may have to wait awhile. But if you take time to look out your window and wonder at the intricacy of a snow flake falling on your porch, or ponder the miracle of the birth of a child or marvel at the beauty of a delicate flower that grows in your back yard, then maybe you’ve seen a few miracles and never truly appreciated them as they occurred.

Unfortunately, my return travel plans to Oregon forced me to leave Rabbi Vogel’s long before the Fabrigin was over. I said my good-byes, went back to my hotel, made Havdalah and went off to the airport. If all went well, I’d arrive back in Portland in time to don Tallit and Teffilin and doven Shacharit in the morning. That is, if all went well.

Of course, it didn’t! I traveled from Philadelphia to Atlanta with no problem. However the plane in Atlanta that was supposed to get me home by 9:00 a.m. PST was suddenly delayed. As I spent hours in the airport waiting for another flight it suddenly dawned on me that I wouldn’t make it home in time to doven Shacharit! I’d have to doven in the AIRPORT!

Over the course of the last eighteen months I had never missed a morning putting on my Teffilin. Every morning, wherever I was, I secured the Teffilin to my arm and my head, said the appropriate brachas and dovened. Six days a week, like clock work I donned my Teffilin. Week in and week out, with the exception of Shabbos and Yom Tovs, I faithfully and gladly completed the Mitzvah.

However, I had never done so outside of my home, hotel room or the shul. I certainly had never put them on in front of 10,000 strangers walking through the Atlanta airport! Now I really began to stress out. I could tell you a good story and say I found a place, put them on and dovened without a care in the world, but that would be a lie. Almost in tears. I apologized to Hashem and said I just couldn’t do it, I just wasn’t ready. I couldn’t get myself to put my Tallit and Teffilin on in public. I asked for forgiveness and walked toward my new gate, ashamed of myself for my lack of courage and obvious conviction.

As I plodded my way to the gate, the morning light began to pour through the airport windows. There didn’t appear to be another human being in the “E” terminal at that hour of the morning. As I walked past gate E7, I saw a very familiar and comforting site. Standing next to the window, facing East, was a short, middle-aged man. Nothing very unique about that unless you consider the fact that he was wrapped in a long Tallit, was wearing his Teffilin and was obviously dovening Shacharit!

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This may be a very common sight in New York or Jerusalem, but Atlanta, Georgia? I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Here I was beating myself up for my lack of courage and suddenly out of no where, a Jewish man of conviction and devotion appeared. I looked around. The people I would be traveling with to Portland were walking by on their way to the gate and guess what, no one paid the slightest attention to my dovening brother. He went about his business and they went about theirs. I had to smile and ask myself what I was embarrassed about. The truth is, sometimes one needs an example before they can overcome their own fears.

I suddenly felt empowered. I was ready to face my fears and pray to my G-d. Just as I began to unzip my Tallit bag I heard an announcement, “Flight 427 to Portland is ready to board! First class passengers and Medallion card holders please proceed to the gate.” This was an almost miraculous event because the flight was supposed to be delayed for another three hours.

I zipped up my bag, took one last look at this figure of inspiration and ran to the gate. I boarded the plane, sank into my seat and jetted off to Portland. The plane touched down at 9:00 a.m. I found my car, drove home and was dovening Shacharit by 10:30 a.m. PST.

Some miracles involve the parting of a sea of reeds and Manna falling from heaven. Others are as simple as seeing one lone Jew in an airport praying to his G-d, setting an example for another conflicted young man who possessed the desire but not necessarily the immediate ability to overcome his fears. With all the billions of human beings in the world my G-d took a moment out of the day to send Shlomo Yakov Ben Moishe Pincus a message.

Coincidence? I think not!

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