Preventing Depression

“And it shall be [that] if he cries out to Me, I will hear because I am gracious.” (Shemot 22:26) 

When a Jew sincerely believes and trusts in Hashem and in His Hashgachah Pratit, Divine Providence, he has a different perspective to life’s challenges. He can recognize that they are a part of the Divine Providence, and this realization empowers him to face these challenges with peace of mind and a joyful heart. He won’t despair or become depressed. 
 

These Jews can approach life differently because they know that everything depends solely on Hashem. Of course, they do not sit idly by. They do their part and put in their best efforts because they know that that is also Hashem’s Will. However, in the end, they know that everything is dependent on Hashem and his Hashgacha. Everything that we do is ultimately secondary to the Divine Plan. 
 

However, when a Jew lacks this faith, these moments of challenge weigh on him like a heavy burden. 

The Wagon Carries Our Burden 

The famous Maggid, R; Ya’akov from Dubna, zt”l, once shared a beautiful analogy: 

There was once a Jew walking along the side of the road carrying a tremendously heavy bundle on his back. A wagon passed by, and the driver offered this Jew a free ride. He accepted and they continued along their way. 
 

The coachman realized that the Jew was standing in the back of the carriage with his bundle still on his back, and he said, “Why don’t you put the sack down and sit down to rest.” The Jew answered him, “It is enough that you have done this kindness for me. I don’t want to burden you any further with the weight of my bundle.” 
 

The driver responded, “Don’t be foolish! The wagon is carrying you and your load together anyway. Why keep it on your back? You are wasting your strength without lightening the load in the wagon at all!” 
 

We are all carried by the Creator of the world as it says (Yeshayahu 46:4), And until old age I am the same, and until you turn gray I will carry; I have made and I will bear and I will carry and deliver. There are those who foolishly think that we need to help “lighten the burden of our worries”, to make it easier for the wagon driver, for the Creator of the World. However, this is irrational. Rather, we must fulfill what it says (Tehillim 55:23), Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will bear you. 

Power of Prayer 

The Torah tells us (Bereishit 21:15), And the water was depleted from the leather pouch, and she cast the child under one of the bushes. The Chozeh from Lublin, zt”l, explained that the only logical interpretation of this pasuk is that Hagar poured out her heart and davened with all her might to Hashem that her son should recover. Afterwards, she “sent away” her worries, she cast aside her subjectivity and relied solely on Hashem’s Will. The Chozeh explained that this is the ideal way to pray. We must daven and then place all of our trust and faith in the reality that the outcome will be aligned with Hashem’s Will. 
 

Prayer is therapeutic and it heals the soul. Naturally, a person feels better when they unload their burdens. When a Jew places the “load he is carrying” faithfully on Hashem’s “wagon”, when they trust that their Father in Heaven is listening, then the mere act of prayer helps alleviate that burden. In fact, there are studies that have proven that the act of prayer has a positive impact on the health of one’s heart. 
 

R’ Aharon of Karlin, zt”l, said in the name of his father, R’ Asher of Stolin, zt”l, that this was the advice the Shlomo HaMelech offered when he wrote (Mishlei 12:25), If there is concern in a man’s heart, let him cast it down, and a good word will make it cheerful. The same word as cast it down – ישחנה – is rooted in the same word as speaking, שיחה. Chazal taught (Brachot 20b) that speaking, שיחה, refers to davening. A person needs to unload their worries through speaking words of tefillah. 
 

It says in Tehillim (102:1), A prayer for a poor man when he wraps himself and pours out his speech before the Lord. The Alshich, zt’l, explained that a person needs to pour out his speech before the Lord. Meaning, a person needs to pour out all the worries that are in his heart like someone who empties a vessel of water. For, prayer alone can help empty a person’s heart of worry, it can help remove the burden of concerns and the troubles of life’s challenges. Then, a person can find serenity and peace. 
 

It says in Tehillim (77:4), אשיחה ותתעטף רוחי- I speak and my spirit becomes faint … When you speak about your worries to your Father in Heaven, you envelop (ותתעטף) your soul with a protective shield from feeling broken and despondent from your worries. 

Speaking to Our Father

If a Jew has faith and he trusts in Hashem, he understands that when he prays, he is like a child asking his father to help him with all his needs. The child knows the loving father will answer all his requests. And, if he doesn’t, it is because his father, in his superior wisdom, knows that this is not in the child’s best interest. 
 

Similarly, when a father brings his son to the doctor and the treatment causes the child to cry out in agony. The father ignores those cries because he understands that it is in his son’s best interest. He understands that the pain now is saving his son’s life. So too, there are times when Hashem needs to “ignore” our cries because He knows that the challenges that are causing that pain are for our ultimate good. 
 

There are times when the Heavens decree that there needs to be a certain amount of suffering and difficulty in the world for the benefit of the Jewish souls. And, through davening, the suffering that is required can be lessened and not as great. However, even when that challenge must come to fruition in full force, the merit of the prayer is used for other purposes for our benefit. Every prayer makes an impact. Maybe the outcome is not what we expected, or the prayer is not used for what we intended. But our Father in Heaven knows what’s best. 
 

This is the meaning of the pasuk. The word והיה, And it shall be, always denotes simcha (Midrash Rabba 42:4). A Jew can always be happy even when facing difficult challenges, by knowing that “if he cries out to Me, I will hear” – that his Father in Heaven hears his prayer. And, even if we do not see the answers, we know that “I am gracious“. Certainly, Hashem will always do what is in our best interests. This awareness helps a Jew find true happiness. 

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The Kalever Rebbe is the seventh Rebbe of the Kaalov Chasidic dynasty, begun by his ancestor who was born to his previously childless parents after receiving a blessing from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, and later learned under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt”l. The Rebbe has been involved in outreach for more than 30 years and writes weekly emails on understanding current issues through the Torah. Sign up at www.kaalov.org.