Every Second is His Plan

Hashem doesn't just hear every word we say — He knows every thought that passes through our minds. Last Friday, I was shopping for Shabbat and noticed that the prices were unusually high. I picked up an item and began debating whether or not to put it back. Just then, a man came over to me and asked, "Is it true that anything we spend for Shabbat doesn't come out of the yearly income Hashem allots for us?" I replied, "Absolutely. It's an explicit Gemara." As soon as I answered, I realized Hashem had sent this man to remind me of that truth. I smiled, thanked Hashem for the immediate correction, and bought the item I had been second-guessing. Hashem is intimately involved in our lives — not just every day, but every second. Just over a month ago, a mother was looking to take her children on outings to keep them entertained before camp started. She tried two different places, but both were completely booked. The children were disappointed, and the mother, trying to soften the letdown, took them for ice cream instead. It was an extremely hot day. As they left the ice cream shop, the children ran ahead and mistakenly opened the door of a car that looked like their own. To their shock, there was a four-month-old baby alone in the back seat. The baby had been forgotten. They ran into various stores searching for the baby's mother. When she saw them holding her child, she burst into tears. "I always double-check!" she cried. "I just forgot this time…" On a hot summer day, R"l, it only takes 10–15 minutes for a tragedy to occur in a car. At that moment, it became clear to the mother and children why their plans had been canceled earlier. Hashem had rerouted them, put the idea of ice cream in their minds, and guided them to open the wrong car door — just in time to save that baby's life. Another remarkable story was shared by Rabbi David Ozeri. Last Thursday night, he received a call from a panicked father — a Rav in Eretz Yisrael. His 17-year-old daughter had landed in Newark on a stopover from Israel, and her connecting flight had been canceled due to weather. She didn't speak English, she was alone in a foreign airport, and it was already 11:00 p.m. Rabbi Ozeri immediately contacted a baal chessed in his community, who answered the phone right away. "Of course she's welcome to stay with us," the man said. "I'll even send an Uber for her." But the father was too nervous to place his daughter in an Uber alone at night. Rabbi Ozeri then thought of a woman in Brooklyn who drove children to school each morning. She was divorced and may have needed some extra income. He called her and asked if she would be willing to drive from Brooklyn to Newark to pick up the girl, bring her all the way to Deal, New Jersey, and then return home. The woman answered immediately, "It would be my pleasure to do the chessed," and added that she didn't want to be paid. But Rabbi Ozeri went to the host's home and gave him an envelope with $450, asking him to give it to the driver when she dropped off the girl. The next morning, the woman texted Rabbi Ozeri thanking him for the opportunity to do the chessed — and for the money. What she shared afterward was incredible. She said it was her turn to host her children for Shabbat, but when she checked her bank account, she had only ten dollars left. She didn't know how she would buy food for her large family. At that moment, she saw a request for tzedakah for a worthy cause. With great Emunah, she donated her last $10 and prayed that in the zechut of that mitzvah, Hashem would help her provide for Shabbat. The very next night, at 11:00 p.m., she received the call from Rabbi Ozeri — and ended up earning more than enough to buy everything she needed. We don't fully understand the ways of Hashem, but it seems like one of the reasons the girl's flight was canceled was so this woman could have the parnassah she had so desperately prayed for. When people heard her story, they were so moved that they voluntarily donated more — and she ended up receiving a total of $6,000. Hashem is involved in every moment of every person's life. He orchestrates everything with precision and purpose. Our job is to build our connection with Him — through our tefillot , through our mitzvot , and through our emunah.