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By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon, The American Israelite

It was in the beginning of November, and I was following all the news of the war going on in Israel, when the following headline caught my attention: “US sends Ohio-class submarine to the Middle East.” I am always curious about things connected to Ohio, so I started doing research on this unique boat and how it got named after our state.

The Ohio-class boats are the largest submarines ever built for the U.S. Navy. The Ohio-class submarine was designed for extended strategic deterrent patrols. Each submarine is assigned two complete crews, called the Blue crew and the Gold crew, each typically serving 70-to-90-day deterrent patrols. The Ohio class of nuclear-powered submarines includes the United States Navy’s 14 ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and its four cruise missile submarines (SSGNs). Seventeen out of the Eighteen submarines are named after States. The oldest, and largest, of the ships is the one named OHIO, hence the entire fleet received the name “Ohio-class” ships.

Everyone understands the power of a submarine. It literally is hidden in the water and can easily surprise other ships with their missiles or torpedoes. In World War II, submarines played a major part in the war. The accused Nazis used their “U-boats” to sink many ships. During the war, 52 US submarines were lost, with a total of 3,506 officers and enlisted men killed. The US Navy Submarine Service had the highest casualty percentage of any American forces in the war, at about 20%.

The discussion about submarines reminds me of the upcoming holiday of Purim (March 24). One of the highlights of Purim is the listening to the story of Purim — called the book of Esther — being read from a special scroll called the Megillah. We are commanded to hear the Megillah twice on Purim: In the evening that proceeds the day of Purim and on the day of Purim itself. If you listen closely, you will notice something extremely peculiar: The name of G-d Almighty is not mentioned once in the entire story! The entire holiday was established to thank G-d Almighty for the miraculous salvation that the Jewish people experienced then — and now — and the name of G-d Almighty should not be mentioned once?!

The answer is simple and profound: Compare the story of Purim with that of our other holidays. Ever notice how the plot features no open miracles? No seas split, no mass revelation, no dwelling in clouds for forty years, and no overcoming an enemy a hundred times our size using guerrilla warfare. What did happen? A lot of people were in the right place at the right time to provide just the political clout necessary when needed. What a coincidence. Of course, the word “coincidence” is not part of the Jewish lexicon. All these events were deliberately orchestrated from Above — only that the conductor stood backstage.

While all other holidays we celebrate the revelation of G-d’s presence that breaks the laws of nature, on Purim we internalize that G-d Almighty is really submerged in every aspect of nature. He was, and is, the real existence, power and controller of events but prefers to remain hidden and concealed in the “water” i.e. nature.

This should be a very important lesson for each and every one of us. It is very important to recognize the existence and presence of Hashem in all aspects of our lives. We must banish the notion of “coincidence” or “it just so happened to be” from our mindset and lexicon. We must internalize the concept of “Hashgacha Pratis — divine providence” that is present at all times. When we begin opening our eyes to the seemingly small events that are constantly taking place in our lives, and the lives of our families, we will begin seeing — and appreciating — the amazing miracles that are taking place constantly.

With this life-approach and mindset, every setback is viewed as an opportunity. An example: If someone was planning a trip and gets lost, the natural reaction is to be frustrated. If one is living with the “divine providence mindset,” then the person will calm down and ask themselves “what could be the purpose that Hashem destined it that I should be here at this time”? Every day-to-day interaction turns into an opportunity and a mission. There are no mistakes that happen, rather opportunities created.

It is very obvious that there are certain events that happen to us, or our communities, that we simply can’t comprehend and understand but that does not shake our fundamental belief and internal knowledge that all is orchestrated by the “hidden hand” of the Almighty. We all acknowledge that our finite brain will not always understand the infinity of the creator.

The main thing is that we should add in joy and merit the revelation of Moshiach when Hashem’s presence will be totally revealed to all mankind!

L’chaim — Happy Purim!

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