Hishtadlut and Bitachon, Ice Cream and The Meraglim

One might ask why it was necessary for them to wander for forty years.   Rabbi Abittan would tell us time and again that the test of this generation is bitahon. Many things have happened in the latter part of the twentieth century, continue to happen in this century and will happen in the world that will challenge us to see if we fully and unconditionally rely only on Hashem and on nothing else, and our level of bitahon will play a major role in determining how soon we will be redeemed.     Some of you will remember 4:11 P.M. on August 14, 2003. I do. On that notoriously hot and muggy day, more than fifty million people in the northeast of the United States were left without power in a huge blackout that abruptly halted the subway system and darkened homes, offices and businesses.    A shopper walking down the frozen food aisle of any kosher supermarket will see Klein’s and Mehadrin ice cream displayed side by side. One might think the two companies are rivals, unless, of course, he knows the rest of the story…(For Goodness’ Sake)