Thought for the Week Parshas Re'eh The Question of Pain & Suffering, Rabbi Yaakov Winner - 5786

How are you? I hope everyone is hope everyone is healthy, strong and happy physically and spiritually. As usual, we'll start with Msiah should come. Now, we're also going to say a prayer which is going to be a direct request to minimize and to take care of all problematic situations. And that's the blessing for healing. So heal us, Hashem. We'll be healed. Help us and we'll be saved for you are our praise. Grant complete cure and healing to all our wounds. For you, Hashem, our faithful and merciful healer. Blessed are you, Hashem, who heals the sick of his people, Israel. Today we're going to talk about which I suspect is the number one question of most people and that is why are they suffering? How do we for a religious person, an observant person, a man of faith, how do we reconcile suffering especially for those that are doing the right thing necessarily? And it's just too difficult. It's so hard when you think about the pain and the challenges that people have to go through. And when you look at life and you think to yourself, not everyone is handling it in the right way and then you see the ramifications or this the the the consequences, etc. And we're talking about the bare necessities in life, health, family, livelihood, things like that. So today primarily we're going to discuss a inf talks about it and I'm just going to say some points from that but I urge you to look there and it's a subject we've spoken about many times but today I hope to focus maybe more on one thing more on the other and finish off with a story that I don't think I said before some stories anyways this week's parame I think we mentioned it it says Inavich the ch from glo the winds of chuva started blowing from shabas which is the shabas and in Melbourne the winds are blowing in Australia it's now winter so it's taka the winds blow and so it's easy for us to immediately think of the winds of chuba in lobavich the original g's talk he says it was a summer A and the Reb gave a talk explaining what the fab wanted to bring out. But anyways, in the first P of this week's P, it says that's the P. SEE, I present before you today a blessing and a curse. So the literal meaning over here is a blessing and a curse. And the question whether it's going to be a blessing or a curse is dependent upon you. And here the Reb gives a talk in chapter 19 in in volume about number one how could it be in general that if we're talking about the highest level of Hashem see also the here probably spoke about it once but I don't want to get into it now and he says the word over here represents corresponds to the the first of the ten commands means I which is referring to the essence of hem and we all believe that hem know bad comes from above and when he gives generously so how could it be from a god that's good could come something that should be called a clo a curse so the rebba brings a profound tarumulis there's something called tarum from that was a translation from Unkus that was made in the Babylonia and there's a tum and the Reb says that the tag translates the word as curse but the mus translates the word excuse me as kilua he doesn't say a blessing and a curse he says a blessing and its exchange or a blessing and its substitute or it's blessing and an alternative so to speak. What does that mean? Reb explains we'll soon get to the difference between but the point is the the the the message profound. If you say blessing and curse that means they're two separate things they're different things and one has nothing to do with the other. If you do the right thing, you get a blessing. If you do the wrong thing, you get a curse. And they're opposites, complete opposites. Like saying cats and dogs or apples and oranges or night and day. But if you say one thing and it's substitute or it's exchanged, that means that they're the same thing. They're connected. For whatever reason, they became exchanged for technical difficulty. There was something that got in the way. But the concept if you say means there's this and for whatever reason it turned out there was a kilu like a substitute it became exchanged but really it's the same thing you know like a pinch what is it called pinch so you have the star the leader the the the one the first guy but for whatever reason he got knocked after acted action but the s something took his place but that thing has taken his place is a continuation. It's a different player, but it's the same position with the same intention with the same purpose. So this is what the Reb says. We're not going to go into the details in the time of Babylonian time of Golos. So therefore, it's more like we can call it a golus mentality, a slave mentality. Let's say it an exile mentality. So in an exile mentality, we're confronted more with the exile. So, we're focusing on the exile on the on the opposite of the blessing. I don't like I don't want to say curse, but yeah, the Torah says curse. But if we're living with a shi in a state of mind of which means we go back to the source and we see things behind the veil of the darkness, then we understand that even when something looks bad, it's not really bad. There's no such a thing as bad. It just became exchanged for a technical reason. There was a glitch in the system that it turned out to be this. But it's really the same thing and it's coming from the same source. It's all out of the true ultimate goodness of the infinity of Hashem of the Ani. Now let's first go step by step briefly because you know the truth is you can start a series of talks. Why do bad things happen to good people? You can go on like this for for 10. And like I said, since this is the number one question that most people are are are dealing with and I think we mentioned this before, the Reb says there's three places in Tanya where the Reb talks about it chapter 26 in Tanya and I think you get a 11 and getish 22. So we're not going to solve and address all of the concept of suffering in one 25m minute talk. Nevertheless, let's just briefly go through it. So the truth is for most people a major issue, a major point is to have the right attitude. It's about an approach. I'm talking for myself now. First I'm saying again and again again every year should have in every single area of his life. But again, I'm talking to myself which I've been through some things in my life. I I give a for everything. But sometimes what was what the issue in many circumstances were I didn't know how to eat it. I didn't know how to approach it. Once I had the paradigm shift or once I had the right perspective, it gave me an approach and therefore I was able to deal with it. Sometimes you see this is called reframing. We spoke about that too a couple of times. Once you reframe it and once you have the right approach and the right attitude, it changes everything. To give one analogy which we spoke many times is two people are climbing a hill and they both have a backpack with 50 pounds of matter. One of them is cursing every step of the way, groaning. This is impossible. This is torture, etc. And the other one is smiling as he's doing the same exact thing. So, we're dealing with two human beings that have the same might, the same strength, the same physical abilities. And scientifically, mathematically, call whatever you want that doing the exact same activity. This one is carrying 50 pounds, no less, no more. And this one is carrying 50 pounds, no less, no more. One is groaning and moaning and complaining and entirely full of grievances every single step of the way. and the other one has a look of bliss and a smile on his face. Why? The Reb gave this analogy many times. Cuz one is carrying a backs of diamonds, 50 pounds of diamonds and gems, and the other one is carrying 50 lbs of rocks. So there you go. They're both going through the same experience, but it's not the same experience because for one person it's rocks and for one person it's diamonds. And so true. It's very, very true concerning life. Sometimes you have to start with the reframing. If what you're going through life is part of your relationship with Hashem and you look at Hashem as a father who loves you and that the father is trying to do everything he can to make it the best for you and this also is the best then you'll be able to face life. And this I say clearly and I'm talking about myself. I don't like mentioning something personal. The thing that gets me up in the morning every single day for my feet to be able to touch the ground is only because I believe the wants my if I didn't believe that I wouldn't be able to get out of bed in the morning and even take one step. And that's why it's so important and that's why this is the message of this week's par and it's coming the days of judgment. My friends, the first thing you have to live with is a look look deeper. A means look deeply come to the conclusion that you're dealing with the highest level of the himself. And what is he? He's pouring blessings. He's giving and he gives generously. to gives you in the most deepest level. You should have inner content, inner bliss. Everything is really a a blessing. And if it doesn't look like a blessing, look at it in the way of the a mentality temporarily you're going through this. I don't know what you want to call it a blockage because of a side reason it had to happen for now but ultimately we'll see how it's so this is what it means to refrain this what it means it's very important that it starts with an attitude and approach and the explains in the that what does it mean that it changed as a substitute that comes when it comes out Hashem over there. It's all good and there's no there's no tricks. This type of good, that type of good. Good. Good is good. The real good on every level. But what happens is that on the way for whatever reason if something you you did something with that it couldn't come to the through the pipes through the through the I don't know some through the channel through the through the antenna in a proper way something happened that as it came to the antenna to the receiving instrument it became substituted that it turned out to be something which seems to be negative and guess what according to some explanation which I don't want to get into now the mere fact really that it became negative ultimately even shows that it comes from even a higher level of goodness which I don't want to get into now even though I said two seconds ago that the real thing is Hashem is good and what does it mean he's good he's good at whatever level you think is good that's it the wants your best interest loves you to no end and the abisha wants your good the way you understand good. I right now you're living through something in life which is the furthest thing from that. You have to first realize you're dealing with Hashem and that what's going on right now is au it's just a substitute because of something that you might have done which is causing the blockage and not letting it come through the goodness in the ultimate way and it's only temporary and the more you receive it and accept it in a proper way according to what it says different places we see this then the sooner we'll be able to go through this temporary stage and see how the the exchange of substitute turns into okay but the first thing you have to realize is there no such a thing really as what's a is it just means there's good which is revealed good direct good then it's indirect good but it's also good and in a way it's wow wow wow to see such a source The way explains it to begin to bring this proof is a very very powerful proof. Now um another story to bring out an idea of a paradigm shift and we spoke about this many times we'll just say is I'll say the what he accomplished just to say it briefly in a certain sense the bos came when he came and nation it says in the was in a state of was faint we were decimated we were crushed we we were deflated demoralized call it whatever you want And he came along as a rejuvenating spirit as a lightning as a resurrection of the entire nation. How one of the things was that he emphasized that every single Jew is so basically you have a person we said this many times. He's living in a shack and he has 33 holes in this wall, in the ceiling, in the floor. Water's pouring in from all sides. He only has 10 fingers. He doesn't know how he's going to stuff all the holes. And the mess got bigger every single day. But wait, it's getting worse. That's how he feels. And nobody cares. Nobody's looking after him. Nobody worries. The BMT came along, came to this person, and he told him, "You're not a poorer. You're a parents. You're beloved by Hashem like a Ben, like an only child to parents that are aged. So imagine you have a 70 year old right now. We had a story in Israel two years ago that somebody was I don't know how old 80 plus and he had a child for the first time. Imagine of a physical father, mother that they're overagged and they have one child. All the hopes, all the dreams, all the love is child to this one child. The BMP said that's how much they loves every single you. Every single Jew and even more than that because a human being is limited. So his love is limited. Hashem is not limited. So his love is unlimited. Every single Jew, the love is like a single child born in the old age. So you're not a pop, you're a prince. When the went around and told that to people, it uplifted them. They transcended their petty trivialities. What do you mean? They were talking about but it became different. what before was intolerable was now able to face like all the stories like the mag he said in the I don't want to get into it now but the point was the point is that one when he was a popper his his as a his entire being he looked at himself as unworthy unimportant insignificant no one's thinking about I could wither away now and die and no one would care and no one shares the pain. No one's thinking about me now. All of a sudden, first I'm not a poper. I'm a I'm a winner. I'm I'm I'm royalty. I'm I'm I'm the king's son. I'm a prince, not a poper. So that itself that is extensional shift that paradigm shift that reframing changes everything in one second. What happened to the 30 33 problems? All of a sudden, now they're not 33, they became 15 in one second because of my change of my perspective. Like the guy walking with the 50 lbs. Like we said before, it's not 50 lbs of rocks, it's 50 pounds of diamonds. So now I don't look at it as 30 problems. They became 15. And hopefully we'll get to it. But the most important inner part of myself since I now feel like a prince, it's a different being experiencing those things and therefore the entire experience becomes a different experience. And that's what we're talking about over here about a look at it deeply that there's an there's an that's he chose us and there's of every single of of every single from the to the and that changes everything. Now there's certain but but they're not easy to swallow sometimes the bitter medicine. So if somebody's suffering I hope the rebel forgive me and it's too much. So I believe you can cry. Sometimes you have to cry. Just like if you had a mother and you had a difficulty in life and you went to your mother would your mother tell you be positive have a I don't think any mother or father would answer that. I think a mother and father would say, "I hear you." And they'd give you a hug and they'd cry with you. Now, on the one hand, it's it's a on my part would speak. I agree with that. I'm not going against. But I'm also saying that even if today, for whatever reason, If today you're going through something where you feel like crying, Hashem will forgive you on that too. and he can make it to even if you don't have a I saw a video more than once gave the person I give you a you shouldn't have to have a but here comes the but then this t the other side of the coin with so many stories of where the punch line was it's put in this story he speaks like that one report see there and the person says I'm being torn to pieces we're going to be happy so that is also true and that is one of the ways to transform the reality and and that itself there's many explanations whether it's enough time to get into it Now, or there's one thing where it says that Hashem mirrors our behavior. Hashem, like a shadow, there's there's many of the which means by us acting a certain way, it causes Hashem to go off the throne of judgment into the throne of mercy and kindness. Just like we went out of our nature, even though all signs of the circumstances and the conditions was something that showed very bleak and darkness, but I saw the light. I saw the goodness that was behind it and I went out of my nature. So then the goes out of his nature etc. There's a story with the Shak family where the Reb told the the the father to make a kdish and shabas even though the daughter was lying in the hospital a baby burnt in a terrible way. So I'm speaking to people. I hope you know most of the stories and if not ask me and I could send you a link or something where there's more at length. But now I want to tell you a story which I never said before and I'm reading it from Z. It's a of the in 1926 and it says as follows the started saying a story that one came to his reb and the says I cannot tell you who was the reb and who was the very interesting and the came to the rebb and told the rebb that I saw you in my dream he told this rabbi I saw you in a and that you told me that one of my children will pass away. Told the Reb, you came to me in a dream and you informed me that one of my children will pass away. When he told this to the Reb, the Reb gave a he gave a sigh and then decided that he's staying with the Reb till after Y. So let's say he came for Sukus. He decided staying till after. Anyways, when it came after when he had to go back to his house, he went into the to the Reb again to ask for about this. So the Reb told him it's going to be good. And the father said, "I I want a guarantee." And the Reb was he's going to live. And it was about to walk out. And the reb called them back and the reb asked him what happened what's your story? What happened during sust and he said that while they were dancing by some he was standing next to the wash bin and he was crying like standing next to the sink and crying because he felt the news that he heard. But then he remembered And he washed I washed my face and I went to dance with the and the told him with this you affected that everything was turned around and it became for the good. So this is a story I'm reading to you black and white in the which means like we say many times sometimes in a situation call it even but we're told that you have the power through prayer through going out of yourself through doing something. And over here we're talking about like it says in other places joy sweetens the severities. I'll just say one more story which I'm I'm sure I said it before which once said by concerning and the famous story where they asked him all the questions when he was interrogated and they came to the last question and the last question was um why does write about the souls of non-Jews that it comes from that idea so the way the story goes was that smiled and didn't answer so the way the story was given over from generation generation I think even the freed writes it in such a way was that basically was telling them you really want me to answer this question I answered all the 25 questions previously all the 24 whatever the amount was perfectly do you want I should explain it to you elaborately how the souls of the go are connected to you really want me to do that. So he gave that smile and that was it. They they got the message and they didn't push it further. But the Reb one and quotes the source of brought that the reason why the smiled was to wow it's a whole different ver according to the first interpretation of the story. It's saying in relation to the's victory over the people that were holding prisoner that he could explain it but he'd rather not. They gave a smile. It was a message for them to realize they can give the answer. And I don't think you really want to do that. I don't think you really want to go through hear me explain how come from but according to this beer it's much more powerful. It's not about the but with his surroundings. It's about a with himself. He wanted to arouse within himself a feeling of because if he would arouse within himself a feeling of sim being in a state of mind in a consciousness in a in a in a mentality in a state of joy and bliss and happiness that would trigger mirror result above that whatever decrees there were whatever judgement that was going on against and the movement it would be nullified because the so again this is a message for the upcoming year should be a year right now anybody who's suffering and anybody's going through a hardship or a difficulty or a challenge it should be nullified completely and we should see the but let's remember that it starts with an approach we have to look forward positively to with a smile and it's only going to be good. That's the approach and through and this should be permeate us throughout the next whole month into posting from my home your man in Melbourne.