Don’t Wait for Heaven

I want to remind you again of the words of Rabbi Natan: 

“If everyone would listen to the voice of the true tzaddikim and give praise and thanks for the good, and also for the bad, then certainly all of the suffering and all of the exile would be removed for us, and the complete Redemption would have already come!” 

The entire exile of Egypt only happened because the brothers did not recognize Yosef Hatzaddik (Joseph). In the portion of Miketz, the Torah says that they did not recognize him, and the simple understanding is that when the brothers sold him, Yosef did not yet have a beard. Now, grown and with a beard and dressed like an Egyptian, they didn’t recognize him. But the deeper understanding is that they did not recognize who he was – the Gadol Hador, the Tzaddik Hador – the righteous leader of the generation. 

The brothers did not recognize his righteousness, and they did not believe in him. They never asked him: “How did you get here? What, you were in jail? You must have been sad and depressed. How did you hold fast to holiness in this pit of spiritual filth, filled with idols and immorality?” 

They never asked these questions, and Yosef Hatzaddik saw that they did not recognize his spiritual greatness and believe in him. He tried to tell them, “You intended to harm me, but you see that Hashem brought me here ahead of you, to take care of you in the famine – everything was for the best!” But they didn’t understand, and they did not even believe in his basic righteousness, that he wouldn’t harm them after their father Yaakov passed from this world. 

If the tribes had believed in Yosef, he would have explained to them how he survived in Egypt, and explained to them how to say thank you for everything and have true emuna in Hashem – and the complete Redemption would have come already then! 

Hashem gave me a new chiddush (understanding) while I was in Uman over Chanukah. In the end of the portion of Vayeshev, after Yosef interprets the dreams of the baker and the wine steward, he asks the wine steward: “Remember me.” Because of those two words, the wine pourer forgot him, and he was in jail an extra two years more than the original decree. 

Rebbe Nachman teaches in Likutei Moharan that Mashiach can come every day; every day is prepared for Mashiach. This is true both on the communal level, and also on the individual level. But according to the dream, Yosef knew that the wine steward was going to be saved in another three days. On Yosef’s level, he should have believed that he could be saved already that day! Why wait three days for the wine steward to come before Pharaoh? So, the wine steward forgot Yosef completely, because Yosef had to do teshuva and repent for his lack of emuna that Hashem could save him already that day. 

Remember that today already, Hashem can save you! Today, literally – if you believe that everything G-d does is for the best. 

Someone came to me today and asked me the perennial question: How can I possibly say “thank you” for my suffering?! It’s bad! It pains me!” What’s his story? His wife goes to her mother every day and it causes him incredible suffering. He comes home after a hard day of work and the house is empty. 

The answer is: There are only two, and not three, options. Either you believe that Hashem does everything for the best and you say, “thank you,” or you don’t believe, and you deny the truth. These are the only options! 

I told him, and I am telling all of you who asks: “But it’s hard for me, I am suffering!” Whatever it is that you are going through – know that when you get to Shamayim, to Heaven, to the Next World – they are going to show you how everything was absolutely for your very best. And you are going to feel such shame! You are going to say to yourself, “Wow, not only did I not appreciate that everything was really good, but I even complained and cried, and I thought it was the worst thing for me!” How hard is it going to be for you when in Heaven, you see that everything was for the best! 

But there in the Next World, where the truth is clear, this knowledge will no longer help you. Then you will believe, but it won’t help you! You won’t be able to say, “I’m sorry! I am sorry that I didn’t believe, I am sorry that I cried and complained.” Chazal says that the worst Gehinnom (Hell) there is in the Next World is the shame of “how could I have done that?” The pain of the shame of “How could I not have believed in you, G-d? How could I have cried and complained?”  

Now, here in this world, you have to illuminate your emuna! This is one of the most important points that I try to strengthen people with: You must actually believe that everything is for the very best. Right now, in this world you cannot see it, but when you get to Heaven, you will see how it was really all for the best. There, you’ll see this truth, but here you have to believe. 

Remember that emuna begins where you cannot understand with your mind. You have to strengthen yourself with what Rebbe Natan teaches: “For sure all the suffering will be cancelled.” For sure! Definitely! Certainly! 

You haven’t found your soulmate – that’s tough. Say “thank you” and believe it’s for the best – really believe and for sure it will be canceled. You don’t have income; for sure this suffering will be cancelled. You have debts – for sure for sure this suffering will be canceled. Everything – each and every form of suffering – Rebbe Natan said “certainly!” Not maybe, not hopefully – “certainly! For sure!” Thank Hashem for thirty minutes every single day – you have to believe with real emuna – and all of the suffering will end – with certainty!  

Someone once asked me to promise that the suffering will end. I told him, “You don’t need me to promise. Rebbe Natan promised!” I keep saying it over and over, and I keep explaining it over and over – in Heaven you will see how it was for the best – for now, you have to believe in Hashem!