Catapult Into Greatness

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

Hodu La'Hashem Ki Tob ! The iTorah APP has launched. Click below to download! for iPhone users https://apps.apple.com/us/app/itorah-watch-listen-stream/id6472929090 for Android users https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.itorah.app There are people who have to endure enormous yisurim in this world. Some are not able to leave their hospital bed. Some have been abandoned by their family. Some don't have any family. Not only do they have challenges beyond imagination, but they have nobody by their side helping them through them. A common denominator in challenges is usually thoughts of why is Hashem doing this to me? Am I so bad? What could I have possibly done in the previous lifetime to deserve all this? All they want is just to have a normal life like everybody else. Some even feel that Hashem hates them, lo alenu. We can never judge anybody. Nobody truly knows how difficult a person's circumstances are. And we hope and pray that they improve quickly. However, we must understand the way Hashem views yisurim. The pasuk says, כי את אשר יאהב ה' יוכיח. It is the ones that Hashem loves most that have to endure yisurim like this. The Mesilat Yesharim reminds us our purpose in coming into this world is not for this world. We are here to acquire eternal life in Olam HaBa. This world is a drop in the ocean compared to the Next World. A person has a very limited amount of time in this world to do a job that will earn him the right to live blissfully forever. The Pesikta Rabbati in parashat Achareh Mot says, Fortunate is the person who has to endure difficult yisurim in this world and does not complain to Hashem over it. Who had more difficult yisurim than Iyov? Rav Chaninah bar Pappah said, If Iyov would not have complained about his yisurim, the same way we say אלוקי אברהם, אלוקי יצחק, ואלוקי יעקב in the Amidah, we would have added אלוקי איוב as well. This statement is mind-boggling. It implies that Iyov would have been elevated to the same status as the Avot HaKedoshim had he accepted his yisurim. Our Avot dedicated every moment of their lives to Hashem. They became the greatest people who ever lived. How could it be that Iyov would have been considered on their level? This is how valuable it is for a person to trust Hashem and accept the way He deals with them. The more difficult a person has it, the greater is his opportunity to elevate himself. We only came into this world to achieve that purpose. Some become great through tireless avodat Hashem, day in and day out. Some can reach greatness with just a few words out of their mouths. If with all the difficulties they are going through and all the questions they may have and all the potential hard feelings they have towards Hashem, if they could change their attitude and say, “Hashem, I trust You. I know You're the only One in charge of my life and You are giving me the exact life that I need to fulfill my purpose in this world.” That will make them great. Those words can elevate them to be counted amongst the greats of the generation and perhaps the greats of all time. We hope the yisurim will go away quickly, but before they do, the person should seize his opportunity while he has it to catapult himself into greatness, to attain the highest portions in the Next World. The value of accepting yisurin is beyond comprehension. That is precisely why it's so difficult to do. If we can persevere and accept the way Hashem deals with us, we'll rise to the highest levels and we'll be eternally rewarded.