First-Time Flunky

Dear Rabbi Brody,

In almost every one of your CDs, you say how much Hashem loves us and wants the best for us. You also say that everything comes from Hashem. If so, that means that failure comes from Hashem too. So, if Hashem loves me so much and everything comes from Him, then why does He make me fail? I practiced so hard to pass my driving test and I did great until the very end, when I barely touched one of the poles during the parking test, the very last stage. The examiner (Hashem, according to you) flunked me. I was really devastated. I promise you that I’m a good driver, better than many on the road. So why did I flunk? I hope you answer me, because I’m really upset by this. Thanks, Jason

Dear Jason,

You’re a bright guy and you certainly understand my messages. Absolutely, Hashem loves us and wants the best for us. For sure, everything comes from Hashem – that’s the first of our thirteen principles of faith. You are no exception – Hashem loves you. When He flunked you, it was an act of love for your ultimate good. Let me explain:

You may be a good driver now, but experience makes you better. Perhaps Hashem foresees you on the beltway at night on a rainy and slippery road in a dangerous situation. Hashem knows that if you get a few more driving lessons, you’ll get the needed experience that might save your life. We are not privy to all this info – to everything that Hashem knows. So, what we don’t see or comprehend, we must depend on emuna.

In my book Six Days to the Top, there’s a whole chapter about why Hashem makes us fail. I strongly suggest that you check it out – it’s a good, fast read and it’ll strengthen you in more ways than one.

By the way, Jason, some of the world’s greatest drivers flunked their test on the first go-around like you did. For example, Jenson Button is a British race-car driver who won the Formula-One World Championship in 2009. Yet, he flunked his first driving test at the age of 17.

Other great people used their setbacks as steppingstones to greatness. Take a look at Sir Edmund Hillary – he participated in two abortive attempts to climb Mount Everest before he succeeded on his third attempt in 1953.

I could write about this all day long. If you’re not yet convinced that you should actually be thanking Hashem for flunking the driving test, think of a few other notable people who were also first time flunkies:

Benjamin Cardozo, renowned Justice of the United States Supreme Court and former Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, failed at his first attempt at passing the New York Bar Exam.

My favorite cartoon of all-time, “Peanuts”, with its main characters Snoopy and Charlie Brown, is the creation of Charles Schultz (1922-2000). He was more than a “first-time flunky”; he failed every subject in the eighth grade. He flunked physics in high school, getting a grade of zero. He also flunked Latin, Algebra, and English. And his record in sports wasn’t any better. Though he did manage to make the school’s golf team, he promptly lost the only important match of the season. He couldn’t even get his cartoons published in the school yearbook. He tried to get a job illustrating for Walt Disney, but the folks at Disney studios said that he had no talent. So, he went on his own and “Peanuts” was born, thrusting him into lasting stardom.

Strengthen your emuna, Jason, and not only will you pass your next driving test, but you’ll be a star too.

Every blessing, LB