Project Genesis




Basics of Judaism

Reward and Punishment

Near Collision - What’s G-d’s message to me?

Question: I almost nearly got killed (unintentionally) today, G-d forbid. I was tired & I ran a red light  in a HUGE major intersection. I just nearly (by 2 seconds according to the cops) missed 2 cars going full speed, nearly colliding into me from both sides. I am so shaken up. Two more seconds and I could have G-d forbid been…who knows. Thank G-d I am alive. But I am so shaken and I dont know what this is supposed to mean. I feel terrible. Could I G-d forbid be “worthy” of death? What should I do?

Answer: I am glad you are alive. No. I don’t think you are worthy of death. If G-d wanted you to die, you would have died. What He wanted you to do, I think, is to wake up.

Speaking of waking up, allow me first a word of diversion. Besides from the perspective of your spiritual self, you need to figure out why this happened from a physical perspective . How tired were you? Are you possibly suffering from sleep deprivation and not even realizing it? It might be prudent to see your physician and discuss if any tests would be appropriate just to rule out anything more significant.

G-d sends us messages because He wants us to change. He does so on both a national and a personal level. For example, when G-d sent prophets during the First Temple Era warning about impending
destruction, why do you think he sent them? Is G-d into prophets of doom? Absolutely not!

He sent them because he wanted the nation to repent, to change their ways. His hope was that warnings of doom would lead to the nation making the necessary changes. Not because He wanted to punish or to
scare people.

In the same vein, when G-d sends us a wake up message, He wants us to wake up. Now your job is to figure out what it is that he wants from you.

Maybe you can recall something you were doing that day that could be improved. Maybe you were thinking or planning something that was not in G-d’s best interests. I don’t know. Do you know?

If you don’t know, I would make the following suggestion. Pray to G-d in your own words and tell Him what happened. Tell Him how it made you feel. Thank Him for saving you. Ask Him what message He was trying to give to you. Do this consistently for a few weeks if need be, and you will receive your answer.

Have you read the Garden of Emunah? It may help with dealing with these sorts of events.

Be glad you are alive. Continue to thrive!

All the Best,
Rabbi Azriel Schreiber

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