The Miracle Hashem Made for Me on Monday
At the end of last week, the rabbanit I was supposed to have interviewed this week postponed until after the Chagim.
So as of Monday morning I was stranded interviewee-less. But what I lacked in interviewees, I more than made up for with bored kids eager to make the most of every last moment of summer vacation. I had a few ideas of people to interview, but was too busy and run ragged to contact them.
It looked like this would be my first week with no interview since Pesach. But I said to myself: If Hashem wants there to be an interview, He’ll make it happen. And if not, I can be OK with that too.
Monday morning I walked my 3 younger kids to the movie theater. And while they were watching their movie I decided to wait for them at Sacher Park across the street. I wanted to daven, and do some Elul work thinking about my goals for the coming year. My destinations of choice for lofty pursuits such as those would usually be the grave of the Zvhiller Rebbe (above the park) or a quiet, shady bench in pine-scented Gan Sacher.
But that wasn’t possible, since I wasn’t on my own. My 9-year-old had insisted on taking our dog along with us. So that is how I ended up davening and contemplating Elul in Gan Sacher’s dog park.
At 10 AM when I arrived the dog park was completely empty. Just me and my siddur and my pages for Elul thoughts to keep my company. And of course, our dog Hofesh.
A young couple came and went. Then a burly man came and went. And then a woman arrived with 2 dogs. I heard her speaking English to one of her dogs, and I asked her, “What kind of dog is this?”
When she answered me, I realized she looked familiar.
“I think I know you? What’s your name?”
“Michal FInkelstein.”
And that was how I ended up interviewing the bestelling author of B’Shaah Tovah this week ( https://fb.watch/7CpkxkE_Ir/).
By the way, Michal doesn’t even live in Jerusalem. She was just in town helping out her daughter who just had a baby. And that was how she ended up at the dog park in Sacher Park, with her own dog and her daughter’s dog.
Before Michal arrived, I had been thinking how one of my goals for this year is to work on my Emuna. And I had been trying to think how I could go about doing that. I wrote down, “Listen to/read an inspiring Emuna message every day,” but then I crossed it out. Just didn’t feel good enough.
Sitting on the bench in the dog park, as Michal and I set up our interview for the follow day, I thought how the best way to work on my Emuna would simply be to live my life and open my eyes.
And sharing the joy of it with us! 🙂
I would love to order a pair of your amazing glasses!
Michal Finklestein was also sent by Hashem to me when I pleaded for help, but this was in Bet El so it’s less random I suppose.
I was having a medical issue that was ongoing and no doctor was helping (or seemed to care). One day, in a lot of pain, I was on my way to the Makolet and I prayed (with tears) to Hashem to send someone to help me. A minute later I bumped into Michal there. She so kindly asked me how I was and I just blurted out my problem. She knew exactly the person to help me and I was able to go there straight away.
Michal is one of my guardian angels though she probably doesn’t know it and it’s been many years since then so I wonder if she remembers me, but of course I remember her.
that’s wonderful!