Rising Above Nature

When a person needs a yeshuah, he is willing to do whatever it takes. People search for ways to speed up the process, especially after waiting for so long. One powerful approach is for a person to rise above his nature and do something heroic for the honor of Hashem. When we go beyond our nature, that can trigger Hashem to respond in kind—acting above the nature of the world and bring a yeshuah in ways we could never expect. A man from Beit Shemesh shared that he and his wife had been waiting a very long time to find a shidduch for their daughter, who was already twenty-eight years old. The pain weighed heavily on them day after day. One morning, after praying Shacharit in a large minyan of about a hundred people, a man approached him and began shouting at him with intense anger over something he disapproved of. The attack was harsh and relentless. He could have explained himself, but the man would not stop. The words were unbearable. He stood there as shame and humiliation filled him from head to toe. He left the shul shaken to his core. But then, with siyata d'Shmaya, he realized that this moment might be a rare opportunity—to rise above his nature and do something extraordinary for Hashem. He turned to Hashem and said, "Ribono Shel Olam, only You know how much humiliation I just went through. I believe that everything comes from You. And even though it is so difficult, I am going to go above my nature and completely forgive this person. Please respond measure for measure—bring me a yeshuah above nature and help my daughter find her zivug." Amazingly, the very next day a promising suggestion came, and within a couple of weeks they were celebrating her engagement. A rabbi once told of a collector who came to him in desperation. His organization was on the verge of bankruptcy, and he needed a major yeshuah. The rabbi told him that tefillah was the answer. The man replied that his siddur was already drenched with tears. The rabbi said, "I want you to start coming to Shacharit fifteen minutes before the minyan." The man answered honestly, "Rabbi, that is above my nature. I struggle just to get there on time." The rabbi told him, "That's exactly why you need to do it. Go above your nature, and your tefillah will carry much more weight." The man accepted the challenge. He pushed himself to arrive early each day, going against his nature. Shortly afterward, the organization began to recover, and eventually it was fully restored. The same rabbi once witnessed another powerful example. One congregant approached another and told him that a device he had just purchased was not appropriate for a ben Torah due to its many pitfalls. The man accepted the rebuke and said he would resell it. His friend pointed out that selling it to another Jew would only place a stumbling block in front of someone else. They lived in a completely Jewish area, so there was no easy solution. The owner explained that the device had cost him four thousand shekel and could not be returned. His friend told him, "Do what you feel is right." With that, the man made a heroic decision. He destroyed the device on the spot, saying he was doing it purely for the honor of Hashem. Immediately afterward, he turned to Hashem in tefillah and asked that his niece, who was suffering from a serious illness, be healed. In a short time, her condition improved, and eventually she was completely healed against all odds. These stories all share one message. When a person stays within his nature, he remains within the natural order. But when he rises above it—forgiving when it is hard, strengthening his tefillah beyond his comfort, or sacrificing for the honor of Hashem—he activates a higher system.