Seeing the Sweetness

I wasn’t expecting the call at 7:30 in the morning from this particular client. From another, yes, but not from her. Not from the one who wasn’t due to give birth for at least another five weeks.

“Elana, I’m at the hospital. I just arrived here an hour ago. I was having contractions and I came. They checked me and I’m 3cm dilated. They are trying to stop the birth.” Less than an hour later this woman was in active labor and within minutes she opened up.

I arrived at the hospital. “I’m not ready. I don’t have anything ready yet. This is not supposed to be happening,” She sobbed.

“You are in this, this is what Hashem is giving you now. You have no choice, but to take it.”

Ready or not the baby came and with a beautiful awesome cry entered the world.

***

Less than twenty-four hours later a woman arrives at my door. She’s week 42. They are giving her until tomorrow, they want to induce. “I’ve never gone so over before. I’m waiting and waiting. What else should I do?” She sobs.

I massage. I do reflexology. I press on all the known pressure points. I try to calm and relax her.

“I can’t believe that this is happening. What else should I do?”

“Nothing.” I tell her. “Nothing, go home, go to sleep. This is what Hashem is giving you now. Go with it.”

Way past the due date. Ready, too ready, the baby came and with a beautiful awesome cry entered the world.

This is the statute of the Torah which the Lord commanded~זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה (Bamidbar 19:2)

This is the statute of the Torah: Because Satan and the nations of the world taunt Israel, saying, “ What is this commandment, and what purpose does it have?” Therefore, the Torah uses the term “statute.” I have decreed it; You have no right to challenge it. — [Yoma 67b]

Inside the word statute~ חֻקַּתyou find the word take-קחת. This (this test, this challenge, this life) is what Hashem is giving you. How are you going to take it? What are you going to do with it?

***

The entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Zin in the first month, and the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there. The congregation had no water…(20:1-2)

had no water: From here [we learn that] all forty years they had the well in Miriam’s merit. — [Ta’anith 9a]

Miriam, oh Miriam. Why is it that when you died there was no more water?

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take the staff - -קַח אֶת הַמַּטֶּהand assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron, and speak to the rock in their presence so that it will give forth its water. You shall bring forth water for them from the rock and give the congregation and their livestock to drink."

Moses took the staff from before the Lord as He had commanded him…. Moses raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, when an abundance of water gushed forth, and the congregation and their livestock drank (20:7-11).

Moshe, on the merit of Miriam, your sister, Am Yisrael had water.

Why? Because water is Torah, it is life. Miriam-mar+yam (מר+ים) took the mar-the bitter given to her and had the faith and the patience to understand that with this very bitterness she and all of Israel would one day sing at the sea-yam.

Mosheleh, I’m telling you to take the staff. Take it.

And what should I do with it? I have to do something, right? I’ll hit the rock with it.

No, just take it…

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Since you did not have faith in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly to the Land which I have given them (20:12).

to sanctify Me: For had you spoken to the rock and it had given forth [water], I would have been sanctified in the eyes of the congregation. They would have said, "If this rock, which neither speaks nor hears, and does not require sustenance, fulfills the word of the Omnipresent, how much more should we! - [Midrash Aggadah]

This pain, this difficulty, this challenge, Ribbon shel Olam, this isn’t what I signed up for! I don’t want it! Even the day to day living at times for one, for us all, at moments, feels like too much to bare.

What should I do? At times, we need to just take it, accept it, embrace it. And we need to know that from the bitterness springs wells of sweet water.

May we always be able to "take" everything with love and see the sweetness in it.