Fellow Jews in the Armed Forces, in the camps, at the fronts, on land, sea and in the air! Listen to these words and reflect upon them, and you will, with G-d’s help, gain courage and enhance the safety of your life and health.
Everything is in G-d’s Hands!
You must know, dear brethren, that the life and health of every man is in G-d’s hands. G-d guides the destinies of every man, and whatever happens to him, in all places and at all times, is predestined by G-d.
If it is G-d’s will that a person should live and be happy, that person will surely escape unscathed even under the most dangerous circumstances. Conversely, if it be Divinely destined that a person be harmed or die, that person cannot escape his fate even in the safest of places and under the best human care.
This does not mean that one should be careless about one’s safety. On the contrary. G-d has ordained that man should take care of himself, in the natural way, and, as our Torah tells us, no person should wantonly jeopardize his health or safety.
For although G-d can save, in the most miraculous and supernatural way, any person He desires to save, very special merits are required for such Divine favor.
Therefore, any one placing oneself in danger for no good reason is foolhardy and deserving of the consequences, since in the first place, he can never know whether he merits such “special” Divine favor; and in the second place, by the sin of exposing himself to danger without justification, he minimizes his chance of a miraculous rescue.
When, therefore, a person finds himself in danger, he should realize that it was Divinely destined so, and that whatever the danger, G-d can save him from it.
Moreover, precisely the dangers to which the soldier is often exposed give him an opportunity to see G-d’s wonders at every step, and to become more firmly convinced how complete and absolute is the Divine guidance by which G-d takes care of each living being.
Consequently, no man should lose heart under any circumstances. He should pray to G-d and trust Him to save his life and protect his health.