Q:
What should we think about when we hear about the girl who lost her life by being run over by a bus in Borough Park?
A:
We should think first of all that the first lesson is ושמרתם את נפשותיכם. Parents have to be very careful. It’s important to teach children to be very, very careful. That’s one thing. And children should learn not to venture in the street unless they go with other adults. Never cross the street yourself; when other people are crossing then you cross together with them. Wait for adults! And it’s good advice for grown people too. Don’t cross at busy intersections by yourself; wait for some more people to gather together and then the motorists will see them. At nighttime especially! People wear black hats and black suits; they can’t see you unless you carry a mirror. I carry a mirror sometimes when I cross the street at night, so that they should see the reflection. Don’t cross the streets in your dark suits unless you’re crossing with other people. That’s number one. Don’t think it’s a small lesson. That’s lesson number one.
Lesson number two: Hakodosh Boruch Hu has plans. We don’t know what the plans are but there’s no question that this girl is going to be taken to the Next World and Hakodosh Boruch Hu will reward her. Actually, He did it for a certain purpose. If the purpose was to teach other people to be careful, so she sacrificed her life to teach other people to be careful. So Hashem says, “Look, you didn’t want it but still you did it so I am going to reward you for being a sacrifice to help other people save their lives.” And they take her into Gan Eden and they make her very happy with her reward.
You want to know what else Hashem had in mind? Let Him know; you’ll find out maybe someday when you’ll get there. But what we should know now is that everything Hashem does is for a very important purpose. And even if it’s only for the purpose of teaching us the necessity of ונשמרתם את נפשותיכם, that we should all be more careful in crossing streets and that it shouldn’t happen again, it’s a worthwhile thing.
Rav Avigdor Miller, TAPE # 988
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