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Short Summary
Main recommendation: when a difficult obstacle blocks a good deed, accept it as coming from Hashem rather than from the person in front of you, and let that acceptance steer your response. Rabbi Fischel Schachter says that once he recognized Hashem was in control, the blocking guard's behavior no longer dictated the outcome, and the visit ultimately went through. The story is presented as a personal account rather than a general how-to.
Key Points
- Rabbi Schachter did not want to visit prisons, but was persuaded to go because he was told it was only about twenty minutes off his route.
- The prison said visits were only every second Sunday, so the initial plan failed.
- After a phone call showed the detour had grown to about five hours, he turned around and drove back anyway.
- The guard refused entry, said the visiting room was limited to thirty people, became angry and threatened to write him up, and had two people escort him out.
- Before re-entering, he wept in his car, reminding himself that the obstacle was not Hashem's doing and that the guard was not truly in control.
- The second attempt succeeded: the guard gave him paperwork to fill out, then asked for ID; Rabbi Schachter stalled by claiming he might have left his wallet in the car, and the guard let him in anyway.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: The speaker gives no step-by-step procedure for visiting a prison. The only actionable advice is the reasoning he applied: when facing an obstacle, pause, acknowledge that Hashem is the true source of the outcome rather than the person blocking you, and then act. He states that once one says this, things change.
- Before re-entering, he called the prison and was told the last hour usually didn't admit visitors, but he noticed cars leaving and thought there might be room; he asked what the worst outcome could be and was told he could get a ticket banning him from ever visiting again.
- He had left his wallet at home in his Shabbos pants and drove without a license; he stalled by claiming he might have left it in the car.
- The prisoner reacted with disbelief that anyone could accommodate such a request, prompting Rabbi Schachter to share his own reflection.
- The account is a personal anecdote; the speaker does not present it as professional or legal advice.
Bottom Line
The story suggests that reframing an obstacle as Hashem's will, rather than as a human's personal refusal, can change how one responds and what one is able to accomplish.
