IN THE SNAKES’ DEN

What Emuna [Faith] Truly Means

In the third week of my overnight camp, we all did go
On a trip to treetop-climbing – everyone was excited so.
The bus took us not exactly to the place, only near;
A long, windy path we’d have to all walk on, to get there. 

As we started walking on the forest-y, never-ending path, we saw a sign saying, “SNAKES! BEWARE!”
Some younger kids walking amongst us were filled with fear.
I too was scared – I have a phobia of this reptile,
But I had to pretend to be the strong one and be the reassuring one for a while.
I told them, “We said Tefillas Haderech, where we asked Hashem to save us,”
From wild animals that may be dangerous to us.
Hashem will surely look after me and you,
Besides, we’re walking in a big group too!” 
Finally we came to the tree-climbing place, and for the first time ever,
I did tree-climbing – though I’d done it never.
It was like a ropes-course many meters high in the air, and I did a few of them;
I left tree-climbing on a high, that it went successfully, not scarily; I was grateful to Hashem.
But because almost everyone had already finished climbin’,
And ’cause I had managed to squeeze one last course in…
I had to travel on that scary SNAKE PATH – ALL ALONE,
Except I realized Hashem was with me – I wasn’t on my own.
As I was beginning my long trek to the bus,
I had no phone, no people with me, nothing – just Hashem Whom I can rely on and trust.
I remembered something I’d heard a few days before to camp I came,
And that’s what kept me, on this snake path calm, not scared, serene and sane:
“If a person trusts in Hashem,
Even if he doesn’t deserve it, Hashem will save them.”
I walked on the path, saw “Beware of snakes” signs as I started to go,
I saw snake holes dotting the ground, saw so many of them so…
Normally, I would have panicked, frozen, too scared to make the trek,
It would have been traumatizing and I would have come out as a wreck.
But Bitachon [trust in G-d] is what kept me serene,
As I walked on the path that went on for I-don’t-know-how-long, I knew Hashem was watching me on His screen.
I kept on repeating, “Hashem will protect me,”
And I felt not alone in the forest, but felt like Hashem was walking with me.
Even if one doesn’t deserve salvation, even if one makes mistakes,
If they have Bitachon it’s their power to save them even if their life is at stake.
I’ve never felt so serene, so protected, especially in such a scary situation,
Eventually I came back to the bus in one piece, not having one encounter with a snake, meriting -Baruch Hashem [thank G-d] – salvation. 
This story’s lesson is powerful, and this story is assured true,
Because this is MY story I’m telling you. 
We can be only one person walking in a dark forest, yet with Bitachon we’re not the only one;
We may be in a difficult situation, yet with Hashem we can pull through and see the light of the sun. 
How did Daniel do it in the lion’s den?
How did Holocaust survivors do it then?
How do each of us do it; what keeps us going?
Every breath, every ability comes from Hashem; it’s sometimes a peak into the bigger picture Hashem is showing. 
Why this story is powerful is that I’m an ordinary person like you; 
With Bitachon, no matter who you are, you’ll never feel alone in whatever you do.