As we experience the month of Adar, during which we are obligated to increase our joy, we may find it difficult to accomplish this inasmuch we see so many people suffering, having been stricken in issues of health or livelihood, thus it is actually more important for us to work hard to be in a state of joy.
About 70 years ago, there was a period of austerity and the government in the Holy Land imposed rationing because the population suffered from lack of access to food. In those days, I traveled by ship to the Holy Land to study in the Belz Yeshivah. On the ship, I met the Modzitzer Rebbe, Reb Shmuel Eliyahu Taub, zt"l, who told me a Dvar Torah which contains inspiration and encouragement during difficult times.
The Modzitzer Rebbe zt"l told me as follows: Illness and suffering come from Heaven for two reasons. The impious heathen nations are struck because they are being punished for their sinful behavior. The Jews are struck because Hashem loves us and will bring some goodness and benefit to us through suffering. This is the meaning of the verse, "all of the illness which I placed upon Egypt" (Exodus/Shmos 15:26), meaning the plagues which were recompense for their wickedness, such a category of illness "I shall not place upon you". This is because "I am Hashem, your Healer", and everything I do for the Jewish People is only for their healing and their benefit, thus if you see the Jews are stricken with illness, one must know that the illness itself is the cure, in order to cleanse the soul from sin, or something similar.
Chazal (Yoma 23a) say that the verse (Shoftim/Judges 5:31) "But let those who love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength" refers to those who perform their worship out of love, and rejoice in suffering. These two concepts of love and joy are connected because those who love Hashem come to the level of rejoicing in suffering, because they know that Hashem loves them, and they know that everything that the Merciful Lord does is for our benefit.
When the holy Rebbe the Divrei Chaim of Sanz zt"l was returning home from the funeral of his son Aryeh Leibish'l who passed away at the age of 7, the Rebbe said "a person is walking along the path of life in a peaceful, unsuspecting manner. Suddenly he is hit harshly from behind. He turns around angrily to see who hit him, and he sees that it was his good friend who slapped him on the back in a gesture of love and affection. There is no question that even if he was angry at first, he will accept it with love upon realizing who it was." The Rebbe continued and said: "I was also hit hard today, but when I realized Who it was that hit me, I said to myself, 'the Creator Who loves me so much struck me, for sure I will accept this with love and joy."
After the horrors of the Holocaust, a group of Jewish Holocaust survivors approached the Chazon Ish, zt"l, and asked "Rebbe, why did Hashem do this to us?" The Chazon Ish answered them with the following parable: "a man once watched a tailor take a piece of very fine fabric, and cut it into many small pieces. The man screamed 'Have you lost your mind?! Why are you destroying such a fine piece of cloth, cutting it into so many small pieces?' Instead of answering the question, the tailor simply said 'Wait and see'. The man waited and saw how these small pieces were made into an amazingly beautiful garment." The Chazon Ish continued "During the Holocaust, we saw Hashem cut this beautiful cloth into pieces, in the future we will see the beautiful garment that Hashem will sew from these pieces".
Concerning such sad situations, the Yetzer Hara will try to arouse Jews to think heretical thoughts and doubt Divine Providence (may the Merciful One save us) thinking incorrectly that the world runs by coincidence and happenstance. People conceive that if everything is under the Providence of the Creator, such a tragedy would never happen to someone with such great merit.
The truth is that this is not a new phenomenon. In all generations we are witness that; although keeping mitzvos brings good life to a person even in this world, it is possible for bad things to happen to good people. Many great Tzadikim with incredible merit suffered from horrible illness and difficult pain. My holy ancestor, Rebbe Yitzchok Isaac of Kalov zy"y, who caused thousands of Jews to repent, suffered from a very difficult illness. Similarly, many Tzadikim were tortured and martyred during the Destruction of the First and Second Temples, during the Crusades, the Inquisition, and most recently the horrors of the Holocaust. Throughout all of this, our zeidies and bubbies never lost faith in the Divine Providence of the Creator, which was the heritage we received from our Patriarch Abraham until this very day.
We know without question that even suffering comes from our Father, the Merciful Father, Who may send suffering even to the Righteous, for their benefit. Sometimes a Tzaddik will suffer, or even die, to atone for the sins of the generation. This will cause the soul of the Tzaddik to be greatly exalted. Sometimes, the Tzaddik himself asks for suffering in order to purify his soul and be elevated through this, or in order to rectify the damage his soul did in a previous reincarnation in another man's body, as explained in the holy Zohar and in the holy sefer Be'er Mayim Chaim. There can be other benefits from this as well.
This we see clearly with the miracle of Purim. Mordechai HaTzaddik fulfilled the mitzvah which the Creator commanded that we should not bow to Haman, who considered himself to be an idol. This caused Haman to be angered and he sought to make a decree to kill Mordechai and all of the Jews, and it appeared as if the Tzaddik was bringing evil upon the people. However, in the end it was realized that this was for good, because through the decree many of the Jew haters who secretly wanted to kill the Jews were exposed for who they really are, and subsequently when the decree was reversed, they received their due sentence and were executed for their own crimes.
Then, "to the Jews there was light and joy", the light of faith which brings constant and permanent joy, and the encouragement to accept upon themselves the Torah, in all types of situations, with love and good will.
I convey to all of you my sincerest wishes of abundant blessing, joy and spiritual fulfillment for you and your families on this Purim festival and always.
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