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By Rabbi Yitzchok Arad

One of the principles of emuna and bitachon is the clear knowledge that Hashem loves us and His love and His mercy toward us is infinite.

With that said, when a Jew delves into this principle and tries to internalize it, he might ask himself, “If Hashem loves me with endless love and mercy, why am I experiencing difficulties and unpleasant events? How can I trust Him when  the world as we see it doesn’t demonstrate His love and mercy?”

Here comes the second rule which pertains to trust in Hashem, and that is, the Creator knows exactly what we need and how to provide for our needs, what will benefit us and what could harm us. The Creator is the one who brought our neshama down to the world at a certain place and time and He is the one who implanted in us unique traits and abilities. He arranges our trials and challenges and the ability to withstand them.

As humans who do not create something out of nothing, we see that when someone fashions something, he knows that thing better than anyone else. All the more so Hashem, who created man, his nature and form, personality and traits, knows better than anyone (including the person himself) what suits him and what will benefit him now and in the future.

This is true even in instances and times when we find it hard to understand this, and as it says in Tanya, chapter 26, that when events happen to someone and he does not understand the reason, their source is “the world of concealment” – Hashem’s concealed, hidden wisdom. This wisdom is covered over right now and in the future it will be revealed.

With this understanding, we can be certain that everything that occurs in the world has a G-dly reason. If we don’t understand it, the lack of knowledge comes from the reason of being hidden. Everything that happens to us is the best thing for us. With this knowledge we will feel calm and our trust in Hashem will be strengthened.

MEASURED LOVE

Hashem’s endless love and mercy appear within sequences of events that prevent us, at times, from understanding them. What is this comparable to? To someone who feels great love toward someone else but is afraid that the one he loves will use his love and kindness improperly; that the person will respond with ingratitude. This is why he chooses to reveal his love and kindness toward that person in a measured way that is suited to his level.

Hashem too, adjusts His love and mercy toward us according to our capability to receive it and sometimes, even withholds and hides it from us.

We see a similar thing in educating children. The father who educates his son, although he has great love for him, does not always fill his every request. Filling a certain request might be harmful to the boy, but the boy is not aware of the possible damage; and if the father gives the child what he asks for, the child might grow up spoiled, be focused on himself and won’t learn to make an effort and work to achieve things within his abilities. He will rely on everything coming from his father, effortlessly. Since the father loves his son, he make sure, with his wisdom, to provide for him in a beneficial way, so that the boy receives things in the proper way and uses them well.

What is true for a parent toward his children is true for the relationship of Hashem with us. All events that a person goes through, including difficulties and trials, have as their purpose to benefit him. They may not look understandable but just as the education of a child is meant for his good, although he may not always understand this, so too, all events a person goes through are meant for his good and benefit.

THE INTENT WITHIN EXILE

In the Geula shleima, the infinite, perfect goodness will be revealed and it will be clear how every detail and event in life were and still are part of the precise, G-dly plan. Even on the eve of the Geula, we need to meditate on this, that every event in our lives has a precise purpose. We learn this from the word for Geula, the insertion of the letter “alef” into the word “golah” (exile). As the Rebbe said, one of the explanations of the word “alef” is (as it is used in the Book of Iyov) to teach and learn. A Jew needs to understand that at the foundation of every detail and event is hidden a deep wisdom. Man’s job is to learn what advantage he can derive from every event.

When he will rely and trust that Hashem knows what’s good for him, and that everything He brings upon him is meant to bring him to grasp that goodness, he can fulfill his mission in this world with joy and trust in Hashem and be liberated from fears of galus and merit his personal Geula, and from there to the general Geula.

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