On this date, Murad IV, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, recaptured Baghdad from the Persian Shah after a forty-day siege. The Jews of Baghdad, who had suffered under the Shah’s tenure, celebrated this day each year to praise G‑d for rescuing them from Persian rule. According to legend, the Jews assisted in the capture by secretly conveying a message to the Sultan about a breach in the wall through which his forces could enter the city.
Prepare yourself with this meditation, and when you feel anger overcoming you, run through it in your mind:
Know that all that befalls you comes from a single Source, that there is nothing outside of that Oneness to be blamed for any event in the universe.
And although this person who insulted you, or hurt you, or damaged your property is granted free choice and is held culpable for his decision to do wrong—that is his problem. That it had to happen to you—that is between you and the One Above.