A Sweet World

 

In Forest Fields, Part 47

 

Thanking Hashem is a prime expression of emuna and of understanding Hashem's reign.   A person who does not express gratitude for everything is far from emuna. True faith only begins when a person expresses gratitude to Hashem for everything.

 

The Evil Inclination—Very Good!

 

Emuna enables a person to taste the sweetness of this world. Emuna alone is the answer to all questions and the solution to the world’s problems. Where there’s emuna, everything is good. There is no concept of “bad” at all. With emuna, even the evil inclination is very good.

 

The moment a man begins to live with emuna and to request that Hashem should guide him and direct him in life, then everything is excellent. Life’s difficulties, challenges, and problems all become part of a marvelous journey in coming closer to Hashem.

 

Hashem is omniscient. One must simply turn to Him and request: “Master of the Universe! You know everything. You know exactly what my soul correction and my mission are. Guide me, teach me, and show me what I have to do!”

 

Thanks for everything

 

One must know that the Creator is watching over him and hears his prayer. He must accept all that happens to him with love.

 

To achieve true happiness, one must have emuna that all is for the good. When a person believes that everything is for the good, the evil inclination is neutralized, for it has nothing to hold onto. Why? The evil inclination has no way to attack a person other than injecting heretical thoughts into his mind. In other words, the evil inclination makes him think that something is evil. This is the essence of heresy. The evil inclination tells a person: “This matter is not good for you. See how you have fallen. What troubles you have! Look what faults you have. Despair! There’s no hope for you!”

 

If someone is unfamiliar with the principles of emuna, he almost certainly falls prey to the evil inclination's attacks. If the evil inclination succeeds in injecting heretical thoughts in one’s mind, that person almost immediately sinks into sadness, despair, anxiety, and confusion. This is most people's problem. If one would only begin to smile, thank Hashem, and rejoice, then all of his problems would be solved. Emuna means that everything is good. Even one's most difficulties in life are all for the good. The moment a person believes this, he rises above his problems.

 

Joy and gratitude to the rescue!

 

Let’s speak with Hashem and thank Him for life’s hardships: “Master of the Universe, I am grateful for the hardships that you have tailor-made for me. Surely, each tribulation is for the best, because everything is for the best and there is no such thing as bad in the world. I don’t look for difficulties in life, but now that I have them, I believe they enable me to become closer to You. These very obstacles show me my shortcomings, what I need to rectify, what to learn, and what to pray for. Setbacks are growth opportunities and a gift from You. Our Sages of blessed memory said, "Only when someone makes a mistake does he truly learn."

 

The prime benefit of self composure is that one no longer persecutes himself. One realizes that if Hashem wants him to experience hardships, then this is the very best thing for him, since Hashem does everything for the best.

 

With such emuna, one can begin to speak with Hashem and thus get close to Him. But, the moment a person thinks that something is not good, his bond with the Creator is immediately severed, for he has fallen into a heretical mindset. How can a heretic communicate with the Creator? Once a person separates himself from Hashem, Heaven forbid, he falls into the clutches of the evil inclination.

 

The Gemara says that a mortal can’t overcome the evil inclination on his own. We therefore have to seek Hashem’s perpetual assistance in our fight against the evil inclination, as the Gemara says, "Were it not for the help a man has from the Holy One, Blessed is He, he could not overcome him [the evil inclination]."

 

There are no complaints

 

I was once approached by a man who had already reached middle age but had never married. He began to complain and weep about this problem, saying, “Look, I am already middle-aged but I never married.”

 

I told him, “First of all, express gratitude for the fact that you never married, and only afterwards can I help you.”

 

He replied, “How can you tell me to do so? You tell me to express my gratitude for not having married. How can I give thanks for this problem, which causes me great pain?”

 

I answered, “If Hashem did not marry you off until now, then this situation is the best thing for you. So express your gratitude. As long as you live with the feeling that the present situation is no good for you, you can’t live, much less smile. Say ‘thank you’ to Hashem, and understand that you were never married for your own good. Realize that all that Hashem does is for the very best. There are no mistakes here, for everything takes place exactly according to what you need for your specific tikkun.

 

To be continued.