There's a Bigger Picture

i was invited for a shabbaton a number of years ago it was a big shabbaton it was planned almost a year in advance [Music] it was a winter shopping so it was a very short friday i was packed up we were ready to go i get a call from one of the organizers she's devastated what happened it was cancelled cancer i said you're planning this for a year it was cancelled i am sorry i have no words it's horrible what happened politics complicated story not a nice story they have all these people going and reservations and they plan for it it's cancelled i said but i was relying on this and we didn't make shabbos we [Music] i have nothing to tell you i am embarrassed what am i supposed to say i got off the phone i told my wife i was very very upset i was close to shabbos chavez didn't want my wife to now start cooking so shabba's day i think you know we decided to lead on our own we'll get some food for the store friday night we invited ourselves to a friend in the neighborhood okay i was quite upset i remember walking with my wife home you know saying how it was just unacceptable they could have cancelled a week ago a month ago politics wasn't created today [Music] we came home from the meal my wife went to retire and i was sitting on the couch in the dining room i was learning i fell asleep on the couch you know three o'clock in the morning i woke up and i was restless something is wrong i walk into the bedroom everything is fine my wife is sound asleep i go into the kitchen i go something is bothering me i just go back to sleep i can't go back to sleep but i'm tired i didn't sleep much why am i not sleeping i don't know did something happen no i had an office in this apartment building on the fourth floor over there i had lights on and i had more books side-to-side of this i can't go to sleep and i have nothing to do so i said you know what i wanted to read something i'll go up to the fourth floor and get a book i kid you not it's three in the morning i leave my apartment i go up four floors i come up to one of the floors there's a teenager sitting on a step [Music] strange my instincts told me that i shouldn't just go away even though it's not my business i stopped i sat down i said good shabbos is everything all right didn't answer i put my hand subtly on his shoulder how are you doing you seem sad can i help you are you locked out you need a place to sleep you want to come to my house not answering what's going on did something happen i thought maybe you know some argument some relationship broke up with face doesn't answer as i'm sitting there in silence he jumps up and he runs into one of the apartments and perhaps the father in me told me to pursue him and i ran after him he closed the door but i put my foot in when i got in he ran into the kitchen and he had a bunch of tablets there and he started to throw the tablets into his mouth and i knocked them down on the floor so most of them were gone and he started to fight with me and we got into a wrestling match he was aggressive i was aggressive thank god i was a little more powerful and i finally picked down and he started to tell me leave i just wanted to take my life and end it it was all planned those tablets you ruined it and i held them down and i spent the entire night there first it was a fight then it was surrender then it was conversation and we were there together a whole sharpness right after shabbos i put him in contact with a person who i thought could be very helpful for him and he was today years later this young man is a beautiful person successful bright schmack after shabbos when the drama was over i turned to my wife and said if this shabbaton would have not been cancelled this boy would have not been here today now the shabbaton was not cancelled for holy reasons it was canceled for political petty reasons people are people they make their decisions but it was by divine providence and a moment i learned a tremendous lesson people cancel events events get delayed events get pushed off flights are missed things happen then i took it personal i was angry i was upset it's not fair that moment i learned there's a bigger picture you're never aware of you think one thing is happening something else is happening it's not about a shabbaton that was cancelled it's about a life that had to be saved and i had this hus to save this person [Music] the yeshiva.net