“This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your children after you; Every male among you shall be circumcised.” (Bereishis 17:10)

Rav Shlomo Hyman (1892-1944), the Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaath, related the following story: Rav Shlomo Kluger (1785–1869), the acting Rav of the city of Brodt, had a unique request whenever he was asked to serve as a sandek at a bris. He would say, “Don’t call me until the last minute, so that I can come and leave immediately.” On one occasion, he arrived and noticed that it was being delayed for no apparent reason. Rav Shlomo asked, “What are we waiting for?” He was told that the father of the baby was in the throes of death, and they were waiting for him to pass away so that the child could be named after him. As soon as Reb Shlomo heard this, he said, “Bring the baby and perform the bris immediately!” When asked to explain, he responded: “Many times, a person may not really be worthy of having the malach Refael heal him. But if the malach is already in the vicinity, he may also merit being healed by Refael. Therefore, if his son will have the bris while Eliyahu Hanavi is there, Refael will be there to heal the baby. And once he is already here, perhaps he will heal the father as well.”

When one hears such a story, it is worthwhile to consider what lesson can be drawn from it. To that end, I would like to share another well-known story. By combining the messages of both stories, we may arrive at a modus operandi for life.

There was once a wealthy man who wanted a son-in-law who was a talmid chacham. He went to the Rosh Yeshiva, and asked him to recommend the finest boy in the Yeshiva, promising to support him for 10 years after the marriage. The couple married, and 10 years passed. The avreich was still learning, and the father-in-law decided to continue supporting him. After a few more years, however, he told his son-in-law, “It is time for you to find a job and begin supporting yourself.” The avreich found a job, stopped learning, and shortly afterwards, the father-in-law passed away. The Rosh Yeshiva explained that the father-in-law’s passing had been delayed in the merit of supporting his son-in-law’s learning. Once that support stopped, the merit it generated stopped as well, and shortly thereafter he departed from this world.

Many times, we begin a mitzvah with great enthusiasm. As time passes, however, our commitment may weaken. We may even begin to wonder, “Why did I start doing this in the first place?” Eventually, we may consider abandoning this mitzvah altogether. A person should recognize that once he has incorporated an aspect of ruchnius into his routine, that practice may actually be a sustaining force keeping him alive. Abandoning such a practice would be akin to removing a person from life support without realizing that it is what has been keeping him alive.

Our task in life is to do what we are supposed to do in the manner we are supposed to do it. Our role is not to determine for ourselves what is beneficial for us. Rather, we must strive to do what the Torah and Hashem ask of us, and leave the rest up to Hashem.