“And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the Nile, and her maidens walked along by the side of the Nile;and she saw the basket (containing Moshe) among the rushes, and she stretched out her arm and she took it.” (Shemot 2:5)
The sages teach that Batya, Pharaohs daughter, when she stretched her arm to reach the basket containing Moshe, a miracle happened and her arm stretched so long that she was able to reach it.
The question is: “If she knew that the basket was at such a far distance, why did she reach out her arm in the first place if she knew it was unreachable?”
The Kotzker Rebbe replied that a person must always try to do everything he can do to save someone. Even if you think your efforts will not succeed, still make a sincere effort to try anyway.
As an example of this: once while visiting sick people in the hospital I came to a room in which there was a man in his 50’s who was very distressed. He had a very unusual name which I remember till today. He was going to be discharged and he had no where to go. He was missing a leg and was diabetic. He told me that if they discharged him, he would lie down in the middle of the road in front of the hospital and wait for a car to run over him. I didn’t know what to do, I only came to bring some challah and grape juice for Shabbat and bring some comfort to the sick. So I told him to not go anywhere that I would find a place for him, to wait for my phone call. Was I crazy or what? I was clueless as how to approach the situation.
Suddenly I remembered my friend who had connections with the Jewish Federation, and I called her. B”H she was able to get a social worker on his case and he was moved to an old age home.
A year went by and one day I see in the hospital list, that this individual is in the intensive care unit. So I go straight there to see him, very scared of what I’m going to encounter. When I come in to his room,he received me with the biggest smile and tells me that he is so happy where he lives that he is well taken care of and most importantly is that he is not alone anymore.
H”S gave me a big gift and allowed me to see what an outstretched arm can do.
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