Just eleven and a half minutes before the fatal explosion and plunge into the Atlantic Ocean, as the plane soared 13,700 feet, so, too, did the hearts of its 230 passengers. Trusting travelers, some of them Jewish, eagerly anticipated an uneventful flight and a safe arrival.

And only minutes earlier, disappointed would-be passengers hurled angry epithets at the airline, the elements, the frivolous capering of fate and even at themselves for having missed the flight. For each of the fortunate absentees, Providential circumstances had foiled their travel plans. Many had been aboard TWA 804, a connecting flight to 800. Storms ripping through the Midwest caused 804 to arrive at Kennedy Airport thirty minutes after the Paris-bound aircraft had taken off. The New York Times, on July 19th called it "just a fluke." We call it a miracle.

Every day we experience miracles of which we are not aware. Dovid Hamelech said (Ps. 72:18), "Blessed be...(the Creator) who alone does wondrous things." Our sages infer from here that "One for whom a miracle is wrought is not aware of the miracle."

R. Yossi asked, "To what does this verse refer? `I will give thanks to You...that You were angry with me. Your anger is (now) turned away, and You comfort me.' (Is. 12:1) Two men ventured forth on business, but one of them suffered a thorn in his foot and could not continue. He vilified and blasphemed the Creator. Days later he learned that the ship he was to board and which his friend did board sank in the sea. He gave thanks and praised the Creator. Thus the verse says, `Your anger is turned away,andYou comfort me.' `Blessed be...(the Creator) who alone does wondrous things...'means that the person for whom a miracle is performed is unaware of the miracle. It also means that a Divine act can simultaneously involve the attribute of judgment and the attribute of mercy. Only the Creator can do this. Such acts are hidden miracles, and He alone knows why." (YalkutMe'am Loez)

In Modim we say, "for Your miracles that are with us every day, for Your wonders and favors which are wrought at all times, evening, morning and night."

The Ramban, in his Commentary at the end of Parshas Bo, says that from the obvious miracles one learns to appreciate the hidden miracles, which are the foundation of the entire Torah.

Each moment of our existence is a miracle containing countless revealed and unrevealed acts of Divine Providence. But sometimes we view the human drama blindly, apathetically, blamingly. We fail to recognize its deeper significance. We don't take time to reflect upon the Source of our energy and our senses. We are too preoccupied with pursuing the tenors of life to perceive Divine Providence in each breath. The media has desensitized us from seeing the Ineffable Power as the real Source of news. We do not understand that each miracle is molded to its circumstances, that each manifestation of Divine Providence carries a unique message.

That the plane crash occurred in the nine days...and before the Yomim Noraim...is undoubtedly no coincidence, because there is no such phenomenon as coincidence in Torah wisdom. We know that everything happens at the will of the Creator. The prophetic vision to interpret the message of the July tragedy, or any other adversity, is unfortunately absent today. But we do have the liberty to ask and to learn, to feel and to be inspired. Perhaps a brief reconstruction of the accident will give us material to reflect upon in these days of repentance, with specific concentration on:

- Feeling sympathy for the victims, who suffered such an unnatural, gruesome death, and for their families, who remain shell-shocked, grief-stricken and guilt-laden;

- Seeing the Hand of Divine Providence in every detail, from the blatant Midas Hadin to the miraculous Midas Horachamim;

- Realizing the importance of the Tefilas Haderech before a trip and the words "Deliver us from the hands of our enemy, or hidden foe or robbers or evil beasts on the journey, and from all kinds of trouble that may befall the world...," which seem so significant now;

- Relating to the words in Mishneh Avos (5:11), which enumerates punishments for various transgressions;

- Realizing that a tragedy serves as a warning, as it says in the Gemorrah (Shabbos 105:1) that if one of a group dies the others must worry. ("Echod mibnei hachaburah meis yidagu kol hachaburah.") Since the passengers represented mixed nationalities, the warning might have worldwide implications;

- Relating to the words of the Unessaneh Tokef prayer "All mankind"will pass before You like members of a flock"..." Who shall live and who shall die. Who will die at his predestined time and who before his time, who by water and who by fire...who by beast...who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer..."

- Realizing that self-examination and repentance are the order of the day for all mankind;

- Realizing that that same misfortune could have happened to anyone.

The passengers were seated, reading their in-flight magazines or chatting, happy to be on their way, when suddenly there was a terrible noise. The plane exploded into a fireball (mi bo-aish) and plummeted into the ocean.

According to Dr. Charles V. Wetli, Suffolk County Medical Examiner, who leads the team performing the autopsies, when the 747 jumbo jet broke apart, it was with a force comparable to "a car smashing into a brick wall at 400 miles an hour." Some of the passengers were killed instantly or rendered unconscious by the extremely violent whiplash. Heads were tossed forward and backward with a tremendous crushing force, snapping the ligamentsof the neck and separating the skull from the dislocated spinal cord. Death was caused either by immense change in speed from 400 miles an hour to zero or by inability to breathe due to rapid loss of air after the cabin exploded. Some of the bodies were recovered with missing limbs. According to the NewYork Times, " Preliminary findings suggest that the only injuries to some victims were skull fractures and bleeding in the brain, suggesting that they were alive, though not necessarily conscious, when they hit the water" (mi ba-mayim). The investigators theorized from the extensive skull fractures that some may have hit the water head first. Forensic examination of the lungs indicated that some were breathing when they hit the water,where they were mutilated by sea animals (mi ba-chayoh).

In Psalm 94:1-2 Dovid Hamelech says that the Creator exacts vengeance. ("Kail Nekomos Ha-shem...") The two Divine Names used in this verse denote compassion and mercy, yet they are preceded and followed by the word for vengeance, which indicates strictness and punishment. From here we see that the Creator's ways are exalted, for even in punishment we are surrounded by His mercy. How the near-victims each merited a miracle of such magnitude is not our province to ponder, but the following are but a few of those who for one reason or another missed the fatal flight.

-The young man who received a phone call just as he was ready to leave for the airport to catch the Paris-bound jet. A firm in California, where he had applied for employment, wanted to hire him if he could start immediately.

- The couple who were going to visit their married daughter in Paris. When the husband learned that his wife scheduled the trip for the nine days, he got angry and tore the tickets to shreds.

- The couple who got a flat on the way to the airport.

- Three men who were booked for 800. Travel agent called a few days earlier, asking if they could travel one day sooner on a different airline and save $150.

- Lady who arrived a few minutes after the gates closed and was refused entry.

- Three passengers going to Rome on the earlier flight, which was canceled. 800 was set up to accommodate people on canceled Rome flight. There was another Rome flight that evening. Decided to go sightseeing and take the later flight.

- Russian woman, graphic artist, usually travels to Europe often, supposed to meet a friend in South America and then attend a wedding in Southern France. Because of production deadline at work, missed the flight.

- Three girls going to Russia after stopover in France.

- Lady visiting New York, going home to Rome. Planning to visit Paris first, then go on to Rome.

- Young Flatbush couple supposed to go to Israel with stopover in Rome.

- Yeshiva students going home to France for summer.

- Musician scheduled for flight but missed it. His mother, thinking he had taken it, suffered a heart attack.

- Middle-aged couple had arrived at Kennedy Airport from another flight and had to wait for the 800. In the meantime the wife went to the phone to call her children. By the time she got off the phone, they had missed the plane.

- Lady took car service to the airport. Car had an accident and she was taken to the hospital (instead of to France).

- All passengers on Flight 804 who were scheduled to change planes at Kennedy but missed it because of storm delays.

- All the people who would have filled the more than 100 empty seats on the 800.