Reply To: Q&A With Rav Avigdor Miller

Q:
When I tell my little child to thank Hashem for being healthy and having two feet, he looks at me like I just fell off the moon and he laughs. How should I deal with that?

A:
It’s not only your child. When you tell it to your sixty year old brother, he’ll also laugh. I’m afraid to say that even some people with long coats and long beards will laugh as well. He might be polite enough not to laugh, but in his heart he’s laughing. In his heart, he’s not thinking about thanking Hashem. Nobody thinks about thanking Hashem! Do you know why? I’ll tell you a secret. They don’t believe in Hashem. Even for the frum Jew, it’s only a word in the siddur. It’s not a reality. If he would have as much emunah in Hashem as he has in his brother in Queens or in Boro Park, believe me, he would be the biggest tzadik in the world.

Our first job – and it’s a big job – is to actually believe in Hashem, to gain an awareness that He’s right here. And then we can think about thanking Him for our health.

So don’t be surprised at your little child. However don’t give up hope. You keep on talking to your little child and don’t think that he’s not listening. The child might laugh at you, but the words go into his heart. And those seeds of emunah are going to remain there. And someday they might bear beautiful fruit.
TAPE # 628