Daf Yomi Yevamos 84
My friend
Moshe was married to a lovely girl, Fraidy.
They were married for just six months when they suddenly received the
terrible news that she had cancer and only another few months to live. After she
passed, he was devastated and didn’t know how he could go on with his
life. Eventually, he pulled through and
has since dedicated his life to counseling people dealing with grief. He has remarried and today has five beautiful
children.
The Mishnah states: Rabbi Eliezer taught, “One
is liable for copulation with an androgynous individual, as with a male.”
It was taught in a Beraisa: Rebbe said, “When I
went to learn Torah at the yeshiva of Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua, his students
ganged up on me like Beis Bukia chickens and all I was able to learn was this
one teaching from our Mishnah that Rabbi Eliezer says that one is liable for
copulation with an androgynous individual as with a male.”
We all have
challenging experiences in life. Even
Rebbe, Rabbi Judah the Prince, who compiled the Mishnah, tried a certain yeshiva
but left it because he felt bullied. Sometimes
when you have a bad experience, you want to try to forget everything that
happened and move on. Listen to Rebbe’s
reaction to the experience: instead of putting it completely out of his mind,
he asked himself, ‘Why did G-d send me here?’
And after racking his brain, he realized, ‘Hey, I might not have gained
much out of my time there, but I do recall one thing that Rabbi Elazar
taught. Clearly, that’s why the Almighty
sent me there!’
Every
ordeal that you go through in life has been Divinely ordained. If you find yourself in a negative space, G-d
decreed that you should be there. You
need to ask yourself why. What did He
want you to learn from the experience? How
did you become a better person? My
friend Moshe utilized his pain and suffering to help others through their
grief. Now he knows what they are experiencing
and feeling and he can help them get through it.
You may
have dealt with serious trials and tribulations in your life. You want to put them completely behind you, but
the Almighty sent you those challenges for a reason. You have become a better, stronger, wiser
individual. Now it’s time to help others
dealing with their issues.
Everything
the Almighty does is for a reason. You
are who you are because of life’s challenges.
May you have the merit to utilize every experience, for better or worse,
in helping others and serving the Almighty!
