The doctor’s prognosis for his son’s recovery was grim, so the Chossid traveled to the Rebbe in the town of Lubavitch to request a blessing. As the Rebbe read his petition, the Chossid cried bitterly realizing that it might be too late. “When I left home several days ago, the doctors were hopeless,” he thought sorrowfully. “Perhaps the worst occured in my absence...”
The Rebbe fixed him with a piercing glance and said soothingly; “Don’t cry. Think good and it will be good. You will celebrate the Bar Mitzvahs of his children.”
This was an instruction, not only a blessing. Channelling his thoughts in a positive direction would affect a complete recovery for the young child.
Parshat Shemot is primarily focused on the story of Moshe. Throughout his adolescence he was the sheltered adopted son of Batya, the Egyptain princess. On his first visit to the construction sites, he was shocked to see a taskmaster brutally beating a Hebrew slave. After ensuring that no one was watching, Moshe killed the sadistic Egyptian, thus saving his fellow Hebrew from a gruesome death.
The next day, he observed two Jews quarreling with each other to the point that one was ready to strike the other. “Why are you going to hit your fellow?” Moshe intervened. The would-be assailant did not appreciate his meddling and retorted, “Who appointed you as a leader and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
The Torah records that Moshe became frightened and worried that Pharaoh would hear about the incident and order his execution. The two quarellers indeed reported on the young Moshe and he was forced to flee for his life, only to return over fifty years later as the savior of the Jewish people.
Every detail recorded in Torah is precise and necessary to understanding the narrative. Why is it important to know that Moshe was frightened when he discovered his secret was out?
Had his Bitachon - trust in G-d - been strong enough to remain calm and confident that no harm would result from his noble actions, the story would have never reached Pharaoh. Moshe failed to harness the power of positive thought to affect positive change.
To be sure, this level of trust is very high and can be difficult to master, but it is within reach.
On a practical note, observing mitzvot in a secular environment can be challenging and it is natural to assume the worst will happen as a result of sticking to religious principles; Loss of employment, friends and social status. Torah empowers us to be confident and assume the best, thereby causing that, as long as we do our part, our observance of G-d’s mitzvot will elicit respect from our peers, acceptance in society and only blessings, success and happiness for ourselves and our families.