The Curse’s Blessing

Those who curse you shall be cursed, and those who bless you shall be blessed. [Bereishit 27:29]

For the righteous, their beginning is suffering and their end is tranquility; Those who curse them and cause them pain precede those who bless them. That’s why Isaac mentioned the curse of those who curse before the blessing of those who bless. As for the wicked, however, their beginning is tranquility, and their end is suffering; Balaam, therefore, mentioned the blessing before the curse. [Genesis Rabbah 66:4] 

If you are wondering why the wicked seem to be having their day in the sun lately, here is why: The best is yet to come.  

When it does, it will be for those who are struggling for Hashem right now. If your life is in any way harder because you choose the path of Torah, start dancing! 

For the righteous, life is like a mountain. Every step is upward. At the same time, it’s a lot harder on your way to the top.  

For the wicked, life is like a pit. It’s a lot easier to walk downhill, but with every step you keep descending to the bottom.  

Everything worthwhile in life is like this. First the vision. The decision to do it. The commitment. The sacrifice. The moments of weakness. The times of outright despair.  

The determination to keep going. The adrenaline when it’s all in clear view. The exhilaration of reaching the summit.  

This is a Blessing! 

No Pain, No Gain 

In this world, we voluntarily put ourselves through this for a career, a promotion, money, success, and honor. But these aren’t summits, they are plateaus. They are all temporary.  

If we are willing to go the distance for small peaks, we must all go for it when it comes to reaching the highest point: Greatness in the Next World.  

One mitzvah in this world is worth more than all the money, power, and honor we can gain in this world. Every time we say the Shema, every time we perform an act of kindness, every hour of Torah is putting a coin in our eternal heavenly account that is literally worth 1 billion times more than a gold coin – at least! 

If a million-dollar bank account is worth a 60-hour work week, a trillion-dollar bank account is worth, how many prayers? 

This is why we have a sword on our neck all our lives. It’s the only way to move upward. As Hashem reveals Himself, as we get closer to the final Redemption, as the physicality of this world erodes our value system more and more, we approach the summit.  
 
The physical world isn’t big enough for the coins we accumulate with our mitzvot. When we go to the Next World, or when Mashiach comes and this world more resembles the Next World, the coins become redeemable.  

Our suffering becomes blessing. All the toil we endured at the beginning becomes joy! 

We say it every Shabbat, Yom Tov, and Rosh Chodesh: 

Those who sow with tears will reap with song. He will go along weeping, carrying the valuable seeds; he will come back with song, carrying his sheaves. (Psalms 126:5-6) 

Ya’akov’s Journey 

Esau slides deeper into the abyss. He eats his five-star meal in his world-class restaurant while laughing at the “schlepper” pouring his champagne. 

Little does he know there will be a big check when he’s done.   

It was when Ya’akov received the blessing from Yitzchak that Ya’akov’s life got tough. Immediately, he had to leave Israel. All of his possessions, even clothing, were soon taken.  

He wound up naked in a river.  

When Ya’akov made it to Lavan’s home, he was Lavan’s servant for 14 years. He had nothing. Esau used his superior physical strength to drive him out of Israel. Lavan used his superior cunning to torment him in exile. 

To the naked eye, it was the bottom of the mountain for Ya’akov. Hashem knew the truth: It was the beginning of his journey upward.  

Life was tough. He worked day and night in the freezing cold and the sweltering heat.  

Ya’akov reacted with emunah and mitzvot. He didn’t take a course in Krav Maga (combat fighting) or learn Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and Influence People.  

He held firm in the shadow of God. He knew that strength and cunning are only dominant when the wicked start their own journey. He knew that this was his mission. It was a test.  

As Ya’akov ascended, Lavan and Esau continued their path downward.  

At one point, Ya’akov ascended high as his enemies sank deeper into the pit. Ya’akov left with all of Lavan’s wealth and more. Lavan had nothing.   

Ya’akov returned to Israel with 11 boys, a girl, and another boy on the way. He had two wives, two concubines, servants, and a massive number of livestock and possessions. Esau scurried off to Seir while Ya’akov settled peacefully in the Land of Israel.  

When the wicked of this world look like they are winning, it’s only because God is testing you. They are still inching towards their destruction while we are pushing upwards towards the final Redemption.  

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David Ben Horin lives in Afula with his family, a budding high-tech center, millions of sunflowers, and Matilda, our local camel. David’s Israeli startup, Center Stage Content, creates SEO and ROI-driven content that is easy to digest across all your company’s web assets to make your business the star of the show.