Let Me Help You
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There are people in desperate need of salvation, and their problems weigh them down. They think about them day and night, in a constant state of anxiety. Yet, they don't turn to Hashem for help-either because they feel they are unworthy or because they feel their situation is hopeless.
David Hamelech tells us in Tehilim that both of these attitudes are incorrect. "יַחֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל ה' כִּי-עִם-ה' הַחֶסֶד וְהַרְבֵּה עִמּוֹ פְדוּת". We are to hope to Hashem in every situation, because He is filled with mercy and has an abundance of salvation. Rabbenu Yonah explains that even if a person is filled with sin, Hashem will still help him, just because he relies on Hashem's kindness. Even if it appears that here is no hope-הַרְבֵּה עִמּוֹ פְדוּת-Hashem has countless ways of helping-ways which we could never imagine.
Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman told a story about a man in his sixties, who we will call Joe, who told the following story about himself at a Siyum Masechet he made in Israel. The man said that his parents survived the Holocaust, and came out with nothing. They gave up on Judaism. When he was born, they gave him a Berit Milah, but that was it. He grew up totally secular, went to public school and got mixed up with the wrong friends. By the time he was in his twenties, he was making a lot of money dealing in illegal activities with two non-Jewish partners.
One day, they met at a restaurant to close a big deal and they came out in handcuffs. It was a sting operation. The FBI caught everything on tape, and now they were all facing a long prison sentence. They posted bail. One partner escaped; the other gave out information to lighten his sentence, and Joe was left holding the bag. His court date was set, and he was looking at spending the next twenty five years of his life in jail. He consulted with a top lawyer and presented his case. The lawyer said, "It doesn't look good; they have everything on tape, but I will do my best." Joe had to pay tens of thousands of dollars to hire him.
The next day, Joe was wandering the streets of lower Manhattan, a broken soul. He went into a diner to get something to eat. He sat there with tears pouring down his face. An older man saw him from the window, came in and sat down next to him. He asked Joe what's the problem. He responded angrily, saying, "What do you know about problems?" The older man then pulled up his sleeve and showed Joe the number on his arm. "I know a lot about problems. Let me help you." Joe told him the story, also telling him that he was Jewish. The man listened and then said, "You don't need a lawyer. You need a rabbi. Come with me." He took Joe to the Skulyer Rebbe, and they told the holy man his story. The Rebbe gave Joe a Beracha and said not to worry. "Everything will be fine. Go to court. Your lawyer will be late, but don't panic. You are going to win."
On the day of the trial, Joe arrived at court on time at 9:00 am and saw all the FBI agents and got nervous. As the Rebbe predicted, his lawyer was late. At 9:30, his lawyer called and said he missed his flight. He wouldn't be able to make it, but he was sending a replacement. The court was getting very impatient, and finally at 10:00 am, a young 21-year-old boy walked in and said he was replacing the lawyer. Joe couldn't believe what was happening. With the next twenty five years of his life on the line, a rookie lawyer was going to represent him. The prosecution made their case and brought the evidence. Then the young lawyer started. For the first five minutes he sounded okay, but then he went totally off. No one knew what he was talking about. He spoke for almost an hour. When he was finished, the judge said to the prosecution, "It's clear you don't have enough evidence against this man. The case is dismissed." Joe was shocked. Just like that, his life was saved. He went over to thank the lawyer and ask him how he did it. He replied, "Well, this is my first case, but the judge is my grandpa."
What seemed hopeless, was solved in an instant. Joe returned to the Rebbe to thank him. The Rebbe told him, "You need to come back to Judaism and put on Tefilin every day." Slowly, Joe became religious, and now he has an entire family of religious children and grandchildren.
" כִּי-עִם-ה' הַחֶסֶד וְהַרְבֵּה עִמּוֹ פְדוּת"-Hashem has unlimited kindness and an abundance of salvation. Therefore, " יַחֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל ה'" -We should always hope to Hashem.
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