A potter does not examine defective vessels, because a single blow would break them. What then does he examine? Only the sound vessels, for he will not break them even with many blows. Similarly, G-d tests not the wicked but the righteous.
There is hope, and there is trust in G‑d—and they are two distinct attitudes.
Hope is when there is something to latch on to, some glimmer of a chance. The drowning man, they say, will clutch at any straw to save his life.
Trust in G‑d is even when there is nothing in which to hope. The decree is sealed. The sword is drawn over the neck. By all laws of nature, there is no way...
