More Suffering, Please! | Rabbi Asher Druk

Our brothers, people of Israel, nation of holy ones, in honor of the holy Shabbos Nachamu, we will say, with God’s help, a positive message, positive stands for ‘here it’s good’, on the wonderful issue of Vayimaen, resisting a test in matters of guarding the eyes and holiness. Comfort, comfort, My people. It is known that the commentaries say, Why is it said twice? Because besides what God will comfort, that all of the troubles and the sicknesses and the wars and the problems will stop, besides that, God will show retroactively that everything was for the good. There was an incident with a Jew who had many tribulations, to the point that he felt that he can’t go on like this. He came to the Kabbalist, the Rashash, in Jerusalem. The Kabbalist, the Rashash, had a chair in his house on which wonders would happen. He sat him down on the chair, and the man fell asleep. In his dream, he sees that he’s walking down long corridors, and he understands, as the dream progresses, that he’s walking towards his trial before the heavenly court. And every now and then, carriages full of black angels pass by, a fearful sight. Every now and then, carriages with white angles pass by, too, but much less. And he askes those who are accompanying him, What are these carriages of angels? They tell him: These are from the Aveiros and Mitzvos of Ploni, the son of Ploni, and that’s him. And he understands that his situation is not good at all. Finally they arrive at the court hall, and he sees the judges. He sees the advocate and prosecutor and his sins and merits are put [on the scales], and the sins weigh more, and the Mitzvos are way on top. And he is so stressed. In the middle, the advocate says, One second. What about the suffering? They bring in the suffering and put them on the side of the merits. It really starts going down. Suffering carries a lot of weight in the World to Come. Until it reaches fifty-fifty, and it stops. And then he shouts to the advocate, with his whole heart and soul, Please! Bring a little more suffering! It’s tipping the scales! And then he woke up. So the Rashash says to him: What were you saying? He started smiling. He started to understand that nothing bad comes down from heaven. Everything Klal Yisroel goes through, everything each individual goes through, comfort, comfort, comforted twice, it’s all for the good. And here you need to know a foundation. Suffering is not just suffering, God forbid, such as sicknesses, financial problems, children, there is suffering that one brings upon himself. For example, breaking one’s desire. It’s not easy to guard one’s eyes. Sometimes it’s a very difficult test. But it’s suffering. If a person, once a day, we said, once a day, takes it upon himself, without fail, I’m not looking. It’s suffering. But not just in the upper world. This suffering is also instead of suffering in This World. Instead of sicknesses, instead of poverty, financial problems, trouble in business, trouble with children, wars, God forbid. One has to get used to thinking, not during the time of a test, also during the test, but not only, I take it upon myself to make an effort in this, so that it will be instead of suffering. Wow, isn’t it worth it? And another thing. This week was the Ninth of Av, we are anticipating the redemption. What was in the Exodus, that from there we need to learn for the future redemption? What finished off the Exodus, ‘The sea saw and fled’, the Splitting of the Red Sea? Yosef’s coffin. What did the sea see? It saw Vayimaen (And he refused). Vayimaen, it saw. And then all of the prosecutors and accusers move to the side. Because just like one breaks his nature, all of nature breaks before him. God wants to bring us redemption with mercy. That’s why He brought Vayimaen into the world, which strengthens tens of thousands of Jews to become stronger in guarding their eyes, like we said, to think this thought, It’s instead of suffering in This World, it’s to tip the scales for the good in the World to Come, it’s to bring the redemption with mercy. Isn’t it wonderful? Here it’s good (positive). Good Shabbos.