It was the eve of our move. We were leaving our apartment to move closer to my parents. We did what we could to leave the apartment clean and in good condition before we left.

My father used to say : “When you go to a place, make sure when you depart it is better than when you came.” That is a great principle in life.

If you have a job – make sure the place of work is better than when you came. If you live in a community – make sure it is better when you leave than when you came. Yaakov / Jacob made wells in his town of Be’er Sheva. He left the place better than when when he arrived.

Apparently that is our objective in life. When we leave this world it should be a better place because of our actions.

Back to the story … We called a company that sends over cleaning help. We were surprised when a big Russian man knocked on our door. “Hi. I came to help you with the cleaning.” After he walked in, we thought – “Not what we expected.” But we were courteous and explained to him what we wanted clean.

We still didn’t understand why G-d arranged that he be the one sent to clean.

Then – we got it.

We had tons of baggage to bring down the stairs, to load into our rental car. We needed someone strong to bring the baggage down and help us load the vehicle. He was the perfect person for the job.

What we thought was a fluke – that a big man was sent to clean, was really a blessing – he helped us to carry our belongings down the stairs and load them.

We sometimes second guess G-d’s actions – “Yeah, we know better.” Really, He knows what’s good and what is good for us in particular.

If we are properly attuned and live the Torah outlook, in the end, we will be able to discern – that all that happened to us is for the good. We will be able to live constantly with that philosophy that “All that the Merciful One does, He does for the Good.” Instead of complaining about the bad, we will see the good in all situations. We will live life with a positive attitude – instead of a negative view.

Sometimes it takes a big Russian man for us to realize.