Resilience Through Adversity: Rabbi Hutner's Timeless Lessons

This upcoming Shabbat marks 44 years since the passing of Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner z"l (Adar 5666 - Kislev 20, 5741). Rabbi Hutner was one of the leading figures of his time, serving as the head of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn, and a member of the Council of Torah Sages in the United States, known also as "Pachad Yitzchak" after his book.

Rabbi Hutner authored the well-known and moving hymn "Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh", which is based on a poem by Rabbi Elazar Azkari. The words reflect a longing and a yearning to devote one's soul and desire to the Almighty: "In my heart, I will build a sanctuary for His splendor / and an altar I will place in it for His radiant glory / and for an eternal light, I shall take the fire of the Akedah / and as a sacrifice, I will offer my solitary soul."

Here is a thoughtful and lengthy letter, written by Rabbi Hutner to his student:

"My beloved and cherished one, peace and blessings to you! Your letter has reached me, and your words have touched my heart.

"Know, my dear, that your letter inherently contradicts all the descriptions it contains. Let me explain this sentence to you.

"We have a troubling habit that when we discuss the virtues of our Sages, we only focus on the final tally of their greatness. We tell of their paths to perfection while skipping the inner struggles that took place within their souls.

"The impression you have of the great figures of Israel is as if they emerged from the hands of their creator in their complete form and glory. Everyone speaks of, marvels at, and elevates the purity of the language of the Chafetz Chaim z"l, but who knows of all the battles, struggles, obstacles, falls, and retreats that the Chafetz Chaim faced in his fight against his evil inclination - just one example of many. And a wise person like you can deduce the general from the particular.

"The outcome is that when a young person full of spirit, aspirations, and fervor encounters his own obstacles, falls, and descents, he feels as if he is not 'planted in the house of Hashem.' For according to this young person's imagination, to be planted in the house of Hashem means to sit peacefully on green pastures and still waters and enjoy his good inclination like the righteous enjoy the Divine Presence in paradise, while on the contrary, not to be disturbed by the storm of the evil inclination as written "among the dead free" (Psalms 88:6).

"But know, my dear, that the root of your soul is not the tranquility of the good inclination, but rather its battle. Your precious and heartfelt letter speaks with a hundred witnesses that you are indeed a faithful warrior in the armies of the good inclination.

"In English, they say - Lose a battle and win the war - meaning, lose a skirmish and win the war. Surely you will fail and stand to fail (this is not to open the mouth for the Satan), and in many battles, you will fall wounded. But I promise you that after losing all battles, you will emerge from the war with a wreath upon your head and the spoils of victory between your teeth.

"The wisest of all men says 'seven times the righteous falls and rises', and fools think that the intention is, by way of exaggeration, that even though a righteous person falls seven times, he still rises in the end. But the wise understand well that the essence of the righteous person's rise is his 'seven falls'. And He saw everything that He made and it was very good. Good is the good inclination; very is the evil inclination.

Rabbi Hutner continues: "My beloved, I embrace you to my heart, and whisper in your ear, that if your letter had told me about your Mitzvot and good deeds, I would say I received a good letter from you. Now that your letter tells of descents, falls, and obstacles, I say I received a very good letter. Your spirit is turbulent in the pursuit of greatness. Please, do not imagine in your heart the greatness of the greats as being one and the same with their good inclination. Instead, visualize their greatness in letters of terrible warfare with all their low tendencies. And at the time you feel within you the turmoil of the evil inclination, know that it is then you resemble the greats far more than when you find yourself in the complete rest you so desire. Precisely in those places where you find the most descents, you stand to become a vessel of excellence for the honor of Heaven.

"You do not want to deceive me into thinking that you are on the good path while in truth you are so and so, and also seven times so. And I care little about all these seven times. For me, the foundational work is that over the past winter, you acquired a proper knowledge in monetary damage laws. You reviewed several times the tractate you learned. Do not deny this; it is the decisive fact. In this fact lies the secret of victory in your battle with the evil inclinations," so said Rabbi Hutner.

Failed in one transgression and therefore you also do not keep the other commandments? Do not despair; Rabbi Zamir Cohen has golden advice for you:

Your Suffering: The Womb of Greatness

Rabbi Hutner continues: "You write: 'I will never forget the desire I had to succeed and to rise from strength to strength. But alas, my hope is lost.' I do not know how you dare to deny a living reality. Have you not advanced from strength to strength since entering the study hall?!

"I know you that you are not one of such audacity that they are not the things themselves: if you find that your evil inclination prevails over you, you think foolishly and innocently that your hope is lost. Your words simply bring laughter to my lips. I share in your hard suffering, but this suffering itself is the womb of greatness. I have seen your face during the study of the law. I have seen your face while listening to the lessons. I have seen your face on the night of the seventh of Passover. The letters engraved on your face at those times are letters of 'the honor is yet to come.' The path of honor does not detour through a plain: the path of honor winds like a serpent on the road and like an adder on the path. Its venom is within you? - it will strike at your heel and you shall strike its head.

"I deemed it appropriate to propose these words to you in a letter. The intention is to give you the ability to refer to them from time to time. Naturally, I did not intend anything but the general line. Concerning private matters, this is better suited for living speech face-to-face.

"You are planted in the house of Hashem! Sharing in your suffering, confident in your victory, praying for your success, Yitzchak Hutner.

"P.S. Now you understand the first sentence of the letter, that your letter inherently contradicts all the descriptions it contains," Rabbi Hutner concludes his strengthening words.

Rabbi Yitzchak Finger - Failure Is Not an Option: