Who Is Really in Control? A Powerful Lesson in Trusting Hashem

A rabbi once traveled abroad for a series of lectures. In one of the cities he visited, he asked someone to drive him back to his hotel.

When he got into the car, he noticed something unusual: there was a steering wheel on both the driver’s side and the passenger’s side. Puzzled, he asked the driver why the car had two steering wheels.

The driver explained, “I have a hyperactive son who gets extremely excited when we drive. He might suddenly grab my steering wheel and, God forbid, cause an accident. So I installed a toy steering wheel for him and told him, ‘This is your steering wheel, and that one is mine.’ Now he thinks he’s driving, and I don’t have to worry about him grabbing the real wheel while we’re on the road.”

The rabbi listened carefully and then said, “Thank you. You’ve just taught me a very important lesson about faith.”

The driver looked confused, so the rabbi explained:

“Hashem has given each of us a kind of toy steering wheel, allowing us to feel as though we are driving and managing the world. A doctor says, ‘I will heal you.’ A lawyer says, ‘I will help you,’ and so on. But ultimately, they are holding only a ‘toy steering wheel.’ The final outcome is not truly in their hands. The real steering wheel is in Hashem’s hands. He alone ultimately determines healing, help, rescue, and everything that happens in our lives.”

A Personal Reflection

Is it not clear that there is a guiding Hand behind the extraordinary order and design of creation? Once we recognize that Hashem alone is ultimately in control, while everyone else is holding what amounts to a toy steering wheel, we can approach life with greater peace and far less anxiety.

Of course, we are still required to make responsible choices, seek medical care when necessary, consult professionals, work hard, and do our part. But after we have made the appropriate effort, we can remember that the ultimate outcome rests with Hashem.

There is an even deeper dimension to this faith. A person’s greatness is revealed precisely when he continues to fulfill Hashem’s commandments even when he does not understand His ways. That is part of the test of faith.

There may be times when a mitzvah does not make sense to us, or when Hashem’s conduct of the world is difficult for us to understand. Yet we recognize that our perspective is limited. We are human beings who see only a small part of a much greater picture, while Hashem sees it in its entirety.

And so we continue to fulfill His commandments, both those we understand and those we do not.

The challenge is to remember that although we must take responsibility for our actions and make every necessary effort, we are not the ones holding the real steering wheel.