While I don't know the whole spiritual message behind the bus-overturn tragedy that happened on the Modiin-Jerusalem 443 route, I do want to point out something else.
While we need to pray for and assist the survivors and mourn those who died, it's also important to realize something revealed by my son:
Many people meant to be on that bus ended up missing it.
And it wasn't their fault.
Two boys who learn in my son's yeshivah intended to take that bus. Familiar with that bus's timetable, they stopped in at a nearby grocery store to pick up some nosh when the bus suddenly sped by.
In fact, several other potential passengers were in that same store and also shocked that the bus came early and didn't stop.
(In routes between cities, buses don't come as often and a missed bus is a huge inconvenience to the potential passengers -- something the drivers are aware of, making them more likely to wait for a person running after them and yelling, "Wait!")
This missed bus was their salvation, as they found out later.
While we need to pray for and assist the survivors and mourn those who died, it's also important to realize something revealed by my son:
Many people meant to be on that bus ended up missing it.
And it wasn't their fault.
Two boys who learn in my son's yeshivah intended to take that bus. Familiar with that bus's timetable, they stopped in at a nearby grocery store to pick up some nosh when the bus suddenly sped by.
In fact, several other potential passengers were in that same store and also shocked that the bus came early and didn't stop.
(In routes between cities, buses don't come as often and a missed bus is a huge inconvenience to the potential passengers -- something the drivers are aware of, making them more likely to wait for a person running after them and yelling, "Wait!")
This missed bus was their salvation, as they found out later.
It reminds me of similar incident that happened around the time of suicide-bombings on the buses in Tel Aviv & Yerushalayim.
An American girl was attending Tel Aviv University's one-year program for English-speakers.
When the crowded bus pulled up at the stop where she waited, she tried to get on, but the driver started yelling at her, "There's no room! Get off! Wait for the next bus!"
Startled, she protested that there was room as she was already inside the bus.
But the driver kept yelling at her and with a final shout of "There's no place for you here!", he shoved her off the bus.
Living in Eretz Yisrael for 25 years, I've never seen a bus driver do that.
Then the bus continued along its route and...
...exploded.
That's why, indeed, there was no place for her on the bus.
It wasn't her time yet and it wasn't her way to go either.
(BTW, she didn't leave her dorm for a month after that.)
An American girl was attending Tel Aviv University's one-year program for English-speakers.
When the crowded bus pulled up at the stop where she waited, she tried to get on, but the driver started yelling at her, "There's no room! Get off! Wait for the next bus!"
Startled, she protested that there was room as she was already inside the bus.
But the driver kept yelling at her and with a final shout of "There's no place for you here!", he shoved her off the bus.
Living in Eretz Yisrael for 25 years, I've never seen a bus driver do that.
Then the bus continued along its route and...
...exploded.
That's why, indeed, there was no place for her on the bus.
It wasn't her time yet and it wasn't her way to go either.
(BTW, she didn't leave her dorm for a month after that.)
So while we need to remember & be sensitive to the pain of the victims of this tragedy and the pain of their families, and to help them and daven for them any way we can, we should also remember that nothing is truly an accident.
And we should ask Hashem what message He wants us to understand from this.
Hopefully, we won't need to suffer anymore tragedies and the Geula will come already, b'ezrat Hashem.
And we should ask Hashem what message He wants us to understand from this.
Hopefully, we won't need to suffer anymore tragedies and the Geula will come already, b'ezrat Hashem.
Please see Neshama's blog for a list of names for davening:
Route 443 Accident Victims Need Your Prayers
Also, Hamodia included these names:
Chemdatia Ditza bat Rivka
Tamar bat Rivka
Moshe ben Chana Hendel
May everyone have a refuah shlaima of the nefesh & guf b'toch sha'ar cholei Yisrael.
Route 443 Accident Victims Need Your Prayers
Also, Hamodia included these names:
Chemdatia Ditza bat Rivka
Tamar bat Rivka
Moshe ben Chana Hendel
May everyone have a refuah shlaima of the nefesh & guf b'toch sha'ar cholei Yisrael.
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