Does Pain Have a Purpose?

As individuals and as a nation, we are experiencing a sense of terrible pain.

Whether the tragedies have hit our own homes directly or affected our relatives or friends, we all feel the same terrible pain — it cuts through our hearts and pierces deep into us. In one way or another, we all share in that pain.

The pain can paralyze us, and affects both the body and soul. It brings with it dreadful waves of despair and sadness alongside heartbreak, as well as profound questions on the meaning of life and how to keep on living.

There is no remedy for pain and no easy way out. Many of us quietly think, "If I were Hashem, I would have handled it differently" and we question why things needed to be so difficult.

What Is the Purpose of Pain?

Assuming that pain is only meant to hurt, only worsens the situation, and leads us to feel that we are victims in a world of chaos.

We must understand that the world, and everything in it, were created with a purpose. Pain brings with it all the hardest experiences, but it is not an end in itself.

Pain brings with it intense emotions—grief, a sense of losing control, and deep uncertainty—so that we can't just ignore it. It demands our full attention and disrupts our peace of mind, not because continuing with life as usual is even possible, but it is there to make us stop, face it, and try to understand what lies beneath it.

Surgery is Repair

A person without minimal medical knowledge enters an operating room and sees before him people dressed in white holding scalpels, cutting and stitching the flesh of the helpless person on the bed. He cannot handle this sight and he cries to Hashem.

There is so much sorrow, pain and suffering this body experiences- he simply cannot bear this criminal and merciless scene.

In response to his uncontrollable outburst, one of the senior surgeons approached him—he too dressed in white. With kindness and deep compassion, he explained to the man who had just moments ago been crying out loudly, that he and his fellow doctors, also dressed in white, are working to save the body with great care. They are trying to save his life.

Suddenly the white-clad people seem to him like angels, and there is no more doubt about their actions.

True, the body suffers and aches, and the level of difficulty and pain is not something we can ignore. But at the same time, there should also be an understanding that pain is not an end in itself. Pain forces us to look inward, to understand our true purpose. Hashem does not hurt us to make us suffer, but so that we understand that correction is needed. Every pain, if we look deeply, provides insight that wasn't previously apparent, and that is its entire purpose.

A doctor does not operate for enjoyment and certainly not just to hurt. Pain is a step towards full recovery.

Perspective that doesn't take these insights into account – lacks sense, and only amplifies more greatly the feeling of pain, which is already unbearable.

A person is willing to endure suffering, to give it a place within himself and even observe it, as long as he is aware that the suffering he experiences has meaning. This insight is exactly what helps him endure the suffering.

Any person who undergoes surgery knows it involves pain that is sometimes unbearable. He considers the suffering during surgery and even afterwards, but he is nonetheless mentally, emotionally, and intellectually prepared for it, because he understands that it is an inseparable part of his healing process. 

In order to properly and healthily cope with pain, we must first give it place, and not try to suppress it. At the same time, we must understand that pain is not an end in itself. This recognition allows us not to get lost in it, but to give it the proper place it deserves (not the entire stage).

With this awareness, we can accept our challenges with faith, that we are on our way to revival and complete healing as individuals and a nation.

Inbal Elhayani, M.A, is a certified therapist in NLP, mindfulness, and guided imagery.