Paths of Faith: Who Said That Hashem Desires Your Spiritual Achievements?

My beloved, I press you to my heart and whisper in your ear, that if your letter had informed me about your mitzvot and good deeds, I would have said I received a good letter from you. Now that your letter tells of descents, falls, and pitfalls, I say I have received a very good letter from you. Your spirit is stirred by the aspiration to be great. I beg you, do not imagine the greatness of the greats of the world as they and their good inclination being one. Instead, paint their greatness in letters of terrifying warfare with low and base inclinations. And when you feel the storm of inclination within, know that you resemble the greats much more than when you find yourself in the complete rest you desire. Precisely in those places where you find the most numerous descents in yourself, precisely in those places you stand to become a vessel for the honor of Heaven.

(From a letter by R' Yitzchak Hutner to his student)

Difficulties Are an Inseparable Part of Life

Difficulties are a sign of spiritual vitality. Who said Hashem wants your spiritual achievements? Maybe He wants your ascent from difficulties, your falls and battles? If you are fighting, it means you are alive. In your effort, you bring joy to Hashem. When climbing, falls happen too. The falls prove you are climbing. If you don't climb, you have nowhere to fall from. Only one who climbs falls and rises. "A righteous person falls seven times and gets up."

R' Yechezkel of Kozmir writes: "Then Moshe sang"—a hint of the resurrection of the dead from the Torah (Sanhedrin 91a). Why is the resurrection of the dead connected to the splitting of the sea, and not another subject? Because all of human life is for faith, and here at the splitting of the sea, faith was so clear, the Shechina that a maidservant saw on the sea was so incredibly clear, that Israel did not need to develop the 'muscle' of faith. Things were so bright and strong that it was like death for them. Therefore, the resurrection was needed.

The essence of the Jewish people is standing firm in trials. The Gemara states that Abraham became Jewish in Ur Kasdim at age 52. How can this be? He discovered Hashem's existence when he was three! Explains the Satmar Rebbe, that it was his first trial that made him truly Jewish. A Jew becomes a Jew when standing firm in a trial with devotion.

"Ten generations from Noah to Abraham" writes the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (5:2). Then it continues "Ten trials Abraham our Father was tested" (5:3). Why 'Abraham our Father' here and just 'Abraham' there? Because as long as he did not stand in trials, he was not 'Abraham our Father,' the father of the Jewish people. From the moment he stood in trials, he became the father of the Jewish people, and thus, the merit of his deeds stands for his descendants to this very day.

We received this strength of standing in trials from Abraham our Father. At the giving of the Torah, we proclaimed: "We will do and we will hear!"—we are ready to work and bear the burden.

It wasn't just once. This is the essence of our lives. It's related to my own work, with my partner, and with those around me. Being Jewish means recognizing that life is not a picnic. I accept spiritual training even if it is not always comfortable. Even when it's hard, I understand it is for my benefit. I trust my coach will not give me anything beyond my capabilities, will not do anything harmful. He makes me face challenges, but it's for my benefit. At the giving of the Torah, we didn't ask what was written, we took everything as a package deal. Unlike the nations of the world, who threw away the Torah when it got a bit difficult, we understood that difficulty is part of the matter and did not give up on it.

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