During the height of COVID, I spent a lot of time teaching myself how to use Excel, often investing hours into experimenting and learning. My father and I still talk about how much time I dedicated to figuring out its various functions. One of the first tricky ones I learned was the IF function, which checks if something is true and performs one action if it is, and another if it isn’t. For example, =IF(A1=1, "Good", "Not Good"). That discovery opened the door to learning even more useful functions like SUMIF and COUNTIF, which I now use daily.
In this week’s parsha, Yaakov Avinu says, “If Hashem protects me and brings me back to Beis-El, I will make a house for Him here.” The word "if" caught my attention because, in Excel, "if" represents a condition, and we can't place conditions on Hashem. Curious about this, I called my grandfather, Rabbi Zuber Shlita, to ask for insight. He shared an explanation from the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, noting that Yaakov’s "if" wasn’t a condition—it was an expression of confidence. He wasn’t doubting Hashem; he was expressing trust that Hashem would indeed protect him. My grandfather also reminded me that even when we ask Hashem for things, like success or health, our mitzvos and actions should never depend on receiving those things. We do them because they are the right thing to do, no matter the outcome.
The more I thought about this, the more I realized that faith isn’t about making deals with Hashem. It’s about showing up, doing the best we can, and trusting Him to take care of the rest. I hope and pray that my dreams and requests will be fulfilled today. However, I recognize that my journey is not linear and is designed to teach me valuable lessons. I choose to trust that whatever Hashem has planned—especially when He withholds what I think is best for me—is ultimately for my own good.
Good Shabbos,
All the best,
Avroham Y. Ross
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