The Process of Redemption

The Good Hidden in the Bad 

Everything that Hashem does, He does for our ultimate best. Even in our current difficult situation, Hashem is doing only good things.  

Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt”l was very close to the Baba Sali zt”l. One day, the Baba Sali mentioned to him, that Mashiach isn’t coming anytime soon. This is because when everything is good, when the situation in this world is very good, and people are successful etc, who needs Mashiach? Who is going to even pray for him to come, really? Therefore, before Mashiach comes there will be a lot of suffering, and people cry out. People will pray for Mashiach, everyone will pray for Mashiach, because it will be clear that there is no other solution.  

Just like in the Exodus from Egypt – as soon as the Jewish people cried out for their Redeemer, immediately Hashem started the process of the Redemption. So too now, this is the only solution as well, and Hashem is just waiting for all of us to cry out! 

Before, when things were “normal” and everything was good, so a lot of people had it good and they weren’t so open to learning about emuna. Now, we’re in a very difficult situation with no solution. We see that in our times with Corona, there is indeed no solution. People think this will be the solution, or that will be the solution, or the vaccine, or whatever. Hashem is laughing in Heaven saying, “There is only one solution – cry out for Mashiach!”  

Emuna Never Changes 

Therefore, we have to be very, very strong in our emuna, to not just  believe,  but  know,  that  Hashem is a loving Father – and a Father never does anything bad to His children!!!   

Emuna never, ever changes. Hashem is G-d. He loves us, He guards us and He does everything for the best. This emuna never, ever changes.  

Recognize that to believe in G-d, means by definition, to believe in G-d who loves you like a precious only child, who suffers with your suffering and wants you to be successful and have everything good, even more than you want it. If you truly know this, then by definition you also know that what you are praying for, Hashem also wants you to have it. You don’t have to convince Him! You just need to build vessels to pray, and search for what you need to change in yourself in order for it to be good for Hashem to give you what you want. If you know that the thing that will make Hashem the happiest is to be able to give you what you want, then clearly only lack of prayer and the need for repentance are the true roadblocks. 

And if you don’t truly believe this – then you don’t really believe in the true G-d, Hashem, who created the world. Instead, you believe in an imaginary “god” who hates you, who doesn’t want to give you, who runs the world with cruelty, randomness or hatred, etc. G-d forbid.  

Hence, such a person’s prayers aren’t really prayers, as much as complaints filed against the Master of the World: “What did I do that is so wrong to deserve this?” “I have prayed so much, why haven’t you given me?” and the like. The problem is that prayers are accepted according to how much emuna is in them – so clearly prayers that are complaints, based on an incorrect belief in G-d, are not going to be able to do much – and oftentimes, they actually make matters worse by increasing the judgments on such a person.  

Even worse, such prayers only make a person despair even more! Sooner or later, they will give up on praying altogether, convinced that their original conclusion that G-d hates them or that they are too evil to be rectified is clearly the real truth. Unfortunately, they don’t understand the self-fulfilling prophesy that since they didn’t truly believe how much Hashem loves them, in function, they weren’t able to see the manifestation of His love. 

This is why thanking Hashem is so powerful – because a real “thank you” comes from the recognition that even if we don’t understand, for sure Hashem loves us and therefore this is really good, even though we can’t see it right now. It’s perfect and complete emuna, and as I mentioned – prayers are accepted according to their level of emuna! 

But if someone says “thank you Hashem” without this deep belief, because it’s a known segula or because he heard that this is the best way to get what he is praying for or the like, then the “thank you” is just lip service – a lie. So how can his thanking help him? 

The Process of Redemption 

Also remember that as I mentioned, Hashem is with us in our suffering. Hashem never leaves us for one split second, and even though we sin against Him, still He never leaves us.  

It is very clear that the world is in a specific process right now. The entire world has been turned on its head. A plague like this on the entire world like what we are experiencing now is totally unheard of! The entire world, and the Jewish people in particular, are going through terrible suffering. This is quite literally a war! And it’s getting more difficult every single day. Every day the pressure is increased.  

Why would Hashem do this to us? Let’s return to the Baba Sali zt”l – in order that people should be open to returning to Hashem. The Corona plague was sent to make the world repent of its sins, and the Jewish people in particular.  

Never forget – G-d runs the world midda k’neged midda, tit for tat, a turn for a turn. Everything that happens – everything! with no exceptions! – happens because it is the will of G-d. If you recognize this, then you will start to have a level of yirat Shamayim, fear of Heaven, because truly – reward and punishment is in this world already.  

If you do good – then it will be good for you! Do bad, G-d forbid? Then it will be bad for you! There are no mistakes – everything is executed with exacting precision. Things are good for you? Then you did good! Things are bad for you – then you did bad! 

G-d isn’t punishing you – He simply wants you to wake up and realize that there are consequences to your actions! You did a sin, you did something bad, something ra, you did an aveira, so you get back ra, because of the sin now things aren’t good for you – so simply do teshuva! There is no suffering without sin – so do teshuva, erase the sin and therefore erase the suffering as well!