The Beginner's Guide: Growing Spiritually but Finding it Difficult?

Within every person seeking spiritual growth and adherence to Torah and mitzvot is an inner voice desiring to become stronger. There is the voice that understands what is right, while on the other hand, the voice that reminds us of the struggles along the way. Following are three reminders to boost your motivation and help you do what you truly desire.

1. Life has a specific purpose- we are here to fulfill a mission. Before the soul descends to this world, it resides above in the soul realm, where it is shown higher worlds and informed of a particular task it must complete upon its descent. It is reminded to stay true to its Creator and it is shown the righteous in the Garden of Eden as the reward. It is then sent down to this world within a body, as a newborn.

We are in this world is to fulfill a role, a mission given to us—to live lives of faithfulness to Hashem and the Torah. Therefore, if life flows in a path not aligned with the Torah, we miss the purpose, the mission, and the very goal of life itself. At the end of our days, only Torah, mitzvot, and good deeds will remain- everything else is left behind. The impressions and compliments from friends, the elaborate home design and the bank account balance all become irrelevant. For this reason, our main efforts should be invested in what is most crucial and essential in our lives here and in what accompanies us to eternity.

2. At the end of one’s days, when the soul ascends to the heavenly court, it is shown what it could have been and where it could have reached with the talents and abilities bestowed upon it from above. This will be the claim against a person- why were they not the best version of themselves? Why did they not become who they were capable to be? At those moments, the soul has immense regret.

3. Whatever spiritual level a person manages to attain in life, they will live with for eternity. At the end of the time allocated for living, or conversely, during the time one has until the arrival of the Messiah and the time of redemption, one will be found at the spiritual level they managed to reach, and until eternity, they will live with that spiritual level. This means that in the time a person has until the end of their allocated time to live or until the time of redemption, is when to act, advance, and do. After this time, one will not be able to rise and change their spiritual level because the period of action and free choice will have ended.

In the Talmud (Tractate Bava Batra, page 75a), it is written that after the redemption and resurrection, "each person will be scorched by their neighbor's canopy." The Ramchal, in his book The Path of the Just, explains: "It is not due to envy, but because he sees himself lacking the perfection he could have achieved like his neighbor achieved".

The ranks in the real world, which is the world to come, are divided solely according to deeds. Only one who has many deeds will be elevated there, while he who is lacking in deeds will be lowly. How then can a person ignore their deeds or decrease their effort, if later they will surely regret it at a time when they cannot correct what was wrong?" The Ramchal explains that a person will experience sorrow in the eternal world (after the resurrection) upon seeing others who reached eternal spiritual levels he too could have attained, but no longer has the possibility to change his rank.

This reminds me of a game show from many years ago, where a person was placed in a small booth filled with flying cash notes, and a minute to collect as many notes as possible into a bag they were provided. The participant made every effort to gather as many notes as possible into the bag. This is how it should be for spiritual growth, mitzvot, and good deeds. As long as we are here, we should seize as many mitzvot and ascend as far as we can, for later it will no longer be possible. What we achieved here will remain with us forever. It is certainly worth the effort.