Earlier this year, my husband and I were able to take a small vacation together to Southern Florida. We were accustomed to enjoying a winter break there and now that our son’s family had relocated to the area, it gave us even more motivation to pull ourselves away from daily pressures and travel.
The first morning after our arrival I was just too worn out to begin unpacking. All I felt like doing was one of my most favorite activities – I wanted to read.
I collect books. I own several shelves of books about great Jewish leaders and gedolim which I had recently decided to read through. After already finishing three other biographies before we traveled, I chose a book for our trip which I had been looking forward to reading. The book was about the great Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, by Rabbi Yechiel Michel Stern (and translated by Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Finkel).
That morning, I devoured page after page, not wanting to stop. I was finally on my vacation and reading without interruption. I was sad when I got to the end of the book which described the deterioration of the Rabbi’s health and the massive levaya that took place after his passing.
Out of more than 50 books in my bookcases about gedolim, I had chosen to bring along this particular sefer. The date of the levaya of the Gaon, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was on February 20, 1995. To my astonishment, of all possible days, the date that I was reading this biography was also on February 20, exactly 28 years later!
I had a hard time leaving family and work, but I still chose to use the time to raise myself spiritually by learning about gedolim. As a result, I was left with this meaningful experience.
I got a tap on the shoulder. I felt like I wasn’t alone in the big scheme of things. We all need that reassurance every once in a while. Our vacation got off to a good start!
As we know in the depths of our minds, there is no such thing as chance! Every step we take, every choice we make, the One Above, is watching, guiding and assisting us. As we go from year to year, and even when we are on our vacations, Hashem sends us His gifts, the signs along the way, a tap on the shoulder, that we are not alone.
