Thank You Hashem | Rabbi Asher Druk

My dear brothers, Chazal say in the Midrash, The way man blesses Hashem, so Hashem blesses him. When you say: Thank You, Hashem. when you thank HaKadosh Baruch Hu, you merit to open the gates of Heaven. But you should know that the Ramban teaches us at the end of Parshas Bo and the Mesillas Yesharim also talks about it, that there is another way of thanking Hashem, which is a very big thank you. When you listen to Hashem, when you crown Him over us, when you show that He’s in charge. And this Thank You brings an abundance of blessing. There was once a Jew in Rehovot who woke up one morning, and noticed that he can’t see from one eye. He got very frightened. He went from specialist to specialist and no one could find a cure. In his distress, he took his medical file and went to one of the medical Askanim in Eretz Yisroel. The man went over his file and said, There is no doubt that you have a serious problem. He sent him to America. He told him there is a great professor who is the best in the world. He came to the professor in America, he checks him for a long time and finally tells him, I’m very sorry. Your eye is finished. You need to replace it with a plastic eye. He tells him: If you don’t do it, it can damage the other eye, too, and you will lose your vision completely, God forbid. But you know, a Jew doesn’t despair. He tells the doctor: Give me a day or two. He barely stood up on his feet, from heartache. He found a Shul which was open. It was midday, no one was there. He went over to the Aron Kodesh, and he started crying, he couldn’t talk. You’re confident what did he do? “And they cried out to God in their distress.” No. When he was finally able to talk, he said, Ribono shel Olam, I am ashamed to raise my face to You. For 50 years, You have given me eyes, and I never thanked You properly. Now I come to ask for mercy when I have a problem? I am ashamed. Do you think he spoke only about his eyes? He spoke about all of his limbs. For three hours, he stood by the Aron Kodesh, saying thank you. For his childhood and his teenage years and his married years and the birth of his children, and for material things and spiritual things. At the end, he said a one-minute prayer. Ribono shel Olam, give me a chance to thank You for both my eyes, for many years to come, and to use my eyes for what You want, which is the best thank you, as we explained. He left the Shul, he felt relieved. He called the professor and asked to return the same day. He came into the professor. He said: I decided to agree to the treatment, just check me once more, thoroughly. And the doctor said: No problem. He lay down on the bed. All of the medical devices again. Suddenly he sees the doctor get excited, and brings more people to see. After a few moments, he sits him up on the bed and tells him, I have a way to save your eye. I don’t understand why I didn’t see this in the morning. Go explain to him that in the morning there was nothing to see. He started receiving therapy in the United States and continued doing it on his own in Eretz Yisroel. He returned to Eretz Yisroel with two healthy eyes. But the story doesn’t end there. A Rosh Yeshiva told this story in a Shul. A month and a half later, he receives a phone call. Rabbi, thank you. Rabbi, thank you. He says: Thank you for what? He says: I have two daughters at home. One is 28 years old, the other is 32 years old. No Shidduchim. I have no complaints. “He shut out my prayer.” But this I didn’t know, that you need to say Thank You. I came home and we made up that the next evening, we are going to sit down, Abba, Imma and all of the children, with paper and pen, we are going to write down all of the good that Hashem has done for us, each one separately and everyone together. He says: Rabbi, it was very emotional. At the end, we did the same thing. We said: Ribono shel Olam, We convened to thank Your name. We want to thank You for two more Mazel Tovs. We want to thank. He says: Three weeks ago, my older daughter got engaged, and tonight is our second Mazel Tov. You understand what it means to thank Hashem? It opens the gates of Heaven. And this ‘Thank You, Hashem’ includes also Vayimaen, this wonderful thing. Showing Hashem, Ribono shel Olam, You are in charge. You are in charge of my eyes. Once a day, we said. At least once a day. Once a day. You can bring about salvation. Good luck.