“If you will follow my decrees…” (26:3)

On September 6, 1970, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked TWA Flight 741 that was flying from Tel Aviv to New York City. The hijackers forced the pilot to land in Jordan. The majority of the 310 passengers were transferred to Amman and freed on September 11th.

The terrorists, however, kept the 56 Jews on that flight hostage. And it wasn’t until more than three weeks later, on the 30th of September, that they were finally freed.

Among the hostages was Rebetzin Harari-Raful, who had remained notably calm during the whole ordeal, and had been an inspiration to the other hostages. Someone asked her how it was that she had managed to stay calm for three long weeks with a gun barrel pointing at her in the face and the threat of instant death at every single moment.

She replied: “Whenever I felt panic starting to rise in my throat, I asked one of the terrorists for a drink of water. When he gave it to me, I took the cup and said with all my might, ‘Baruch Atah Hashem, Elokeinu Melech Haolam, She’HAKOL Niyiyah Bidvaro. When I reached the word ‘hakol,’ I had the tremendous focus that hakol, everything, really everything, even this terrible situation, was coming from Hashem! And that gave me the strength to carry on.”

Look around. Everything is from Hashem’s word. There is nothing else. Every challenge is being sent by Hashem. We are Jews. We don’t believe in Dualism.

If it’s there, in front of your eyes, Hashem put it there.

The Mesillas Yesharim says that one of the only three reasons we are in this world is to stand up to tests. And everything is a test. Not just walking through downtown Manhattan, but when you’re in your local kosher supermarket in your neighborhood, when you’re working in your office. It’s all Bidvaro. It’s all coming from Hashem.

Nowadays, the challenge isn’t just big cities or vacation places. But when we realize that right now, Hashem, in His great love, is sending me this test, whatever it is, because He wants me to be closer to him – how much easier will that test be! And even more important – how much more meaningful!