Oatzar HaYeerah – Yissurin v'Yishuah §§22–31 (Final)

This world — which is the aspect of the six weekdays — is full of troubles, sufferings, and grief, G‑d spare us, as it is written: " Gam kol yamav ka'as umach'ovos — Also all his days are pain and grief" [Ecclesiastes 2:23] . And the World to Come — which is Shabbos — is a day that is entirely good, for then all the troubles of this world will be nullified — and they will engage only in the aspect of todah — thanksgiving — to praise and glorify His Name, may He be blessed. But one must draw the holiness of the World to Come also into this world — which is the aspect of drawing the holiness of Shabbos into the six weekdays. And therefore the todah and thanksgiving that one gives upon exiting from trouble completely — this is the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos. And the todah and thanksgiving that one gives to Hashem for the past etc. also in this world which is full of troubles — and even in the moment of the trouble itself, G‑d spare us — one merits to look and find the expansiveness within it and to give thanks to Hashem for this — this is the aspect of drawing the holiness of Shabbos into the six weekdays . And through this precisely one merits to cry out to Hashem and to exit the trouble entirely — and then one merits the aspect of todah and thanksgiving of the World to Come level, as above. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Mixed Species of Animals, sub-sections [ osios ] ה and ז — passages 5 and 7 of that Halachah.)

Sometimes a person's mind becomes confused in a time of suffering and pain, G‑d spare us — and it seems to him as though the entire world has fallen upon him — and as though, G‑d forbid, all the troubles have gathered and come upon him together — with no expansiveness at all. And through this his heart becomes twisted from Hashem and he cannot cry out to Him in truth — and then through this the troubles truly multiply upon him, G‑d spare us — for one who is drawn after his pain — his pain is drawn after him . Therefore one must be very careful to give one's mind some breathing space [ litein revach b'da'ato — literally: to put a gap/breath-space in one's mind; to create inner room ] — to find expansivenesses even within the troubles themselves — and to bring todah and thanksgiving for this at every time. For in truth within every trouble in the world there is an expansiveness — the aspect of " Batzar hirchavta li — In my constriction You gave me expansiveness" — which is the aspect of: " V'revach tassimu bein eider uvein eider — And put a space between herd and herd" [Genesis 32:17 — Yaakov's instructions to his servants as he prepared to face Eisov] — which our Sages of blessed memory expounded as referring to the troubles and exiles [ the Midrash reads Yaakov's instruction to space out the herds as a lesson for how Israel is to face the successive exiles — with breathing space between them, not despair ]: that Yaakov intended to put a breathing space between the troubles and the exiles. And through this one subdues the husk of the ox and the donkey [ klifas shor v'chamor ] — which are the aspect of the husks of Eisov and Yishmael — the totality of all troubles and exiles — and they want to twist the heart in a time of trouble as though there is no hope, G‑d forbid — which is the greatest trouble of all, beyond all the troubles themselves. As it is: " B'retzach b'atzmosai cher'funi tzorerai b'omram eilai kol hayom ayeh Elokecha — As a sword in my bones my oppressors taunt me, saying to me all day long: where is your G‑d?" [Psalms 42:11] — and it is written: " Kol hayom k'limasi negdi — All day my shame is before me" [Psalms 44:16] . But Yaakov Avinu drew this rectification — to put a breathing space between herd and herd: that even in a time of trouble, G‑d forbid, one looks at the breathing space and the expansiveness that Hashem has given him until now — and also within the trouble itself He gives him expansiveness — and through this one can cry out to Hashem and be saved entirely from all troubles through His kindness and wonders. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Mixed Species of Animals, sub-section [ os ] ח — passage 8 of that Halachah.)

Through being careful about the prohibition of mixed species of animals [ kil'ei beheimah — the Torah prohibition against yoking together two different species of animals; Kabbalisticaly connected to the husks of Eisov and Yishmael which are the spiritual root of exile and suffering ] — through this one merits to subdue the husks of Eisov and Yishmael as above. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Mixed Species of Animals, ibid.)

The essential source of all troubles and sufferings comes from the aspect of changing actions [ p'ullos mishtanos — varying/changing acts; in Kabbalistic thought, the Divine Name Elokim is associated with nature, law, and the multiplicity of changing forms — which is the domain where judgment and suffering arise ] — drawn from the aspect of the Name Elokim [ the Name associated with strict judgment and the natural order of cause and effect ] — the aspect of strict judgments. For all troubles and sufferings, G‑d forbid, are different from a person's knowledge and will — and this is the essential bitterness of the trouble: that things do not run according to his will. But through the aspect of todah and thanksgiving as above — that one accustoms oneself to recall at every time the kindnesses and goodnesses that Hashem, may He be blessed, has done for him until now — and gives thanks in truth for the past — through this the truth illuminates within the speech, and the aspect of Shabbos is drawn into the six weekdays — and through this His simple oneness, may He be blessed, is revealed from within the changing actions — and one merits to know and believe that all the sufferings — which are themselves the aspect of changing actions — all of them flow from Him, may He be blessed, who is absolutely simple in His ultimate simplicity — and whose entire intention, may He be blessed, is always for the good. And then certainly one finds within all the troubles great expansivenesses to console and gladden oneself — and then one merits even more to thank for the past and cry out for what is to come — and through this all the troubles are nullified from him entirely. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Mixed Species of Animals, sub-section [ os ] טז — passage 16 of that Halachah.)

When a person remembers Hashem, may He be blessed, and does not forget Him even for a brief moment — he is always close to Hashem — and he judges himself at all times before Him — and then his judgment comes only from Hashem Himself — and then he is certainly saved from all judgments and sufferings, G‑d forbid. And this is what King David, peace be upon him, prayed: " Milfanecha mishpati yaitzai — Let my judgment emerge from before You" [Psalms 17:2] — for Hashem, may He be blessed, is gracious and merciful and multiplies goodness. But when a person does not seclude himself between himself and his Maker — to think about his ways and judge himself regarding everything — then Hashem, may He be blessed, is far from his eyes, and he forgets, G‑d forbid, before Whom he is destined to give account and reckoning — and likewise Hashem, may He be blessed, as it were, distances Himself from him. And then when judgment reaches him — the judgment clothes itself in other matters until it is hard to recognize it — and one must then look carefully to recognize Him, may He be blessed, within it. [ Printing artifact *קכז* appears in the source at this point — silently handled. ] For in truth even if a person does not merit to examine his deeds and judge himself beforehand before the judgment comes upon him — even so, he must at least be careful about his life to return at that time to the One Who strikes him [ Isaiah 9:12 — the prophetic call to return to G‑d when struck by affliction ] — and to elevate all the fallen fears to Hashem, may He be blessed — meaning: to contemplate that there is nothing that can fear him, frighten him, or execute judgment and suffering upon him, G‑d forbid — except by the judgment from Above, through the divine vitality clothed in that thing in order to be judged from it. And then when he truly and sincerely contemplates all of this — examining his deeds and judging himself at least now — and returns to Hashem in complete teshuvah — he merits to elevate all the fallen fears to their root. But who knows whether he will merit to be aroused to return in truth at that time — for sometimes the sufferings twist his heart even further from Hashem, G‑d forbid — for they are the aspect of fallen fears, from which the external forces gain their grip — and they mislead and twist his heart even more. Therefore it is better for a person to judge himself beforehand — before the sufferings come upon him — so that the judgment does not need to clothe itself, G‑d forbid (as our Sages of blessed memory taught: "A person should always pray before trouble comes" [Sanhedrin 44b] ) — for when a person judges himself, the judgment is only mercy, compassion, and grace — for "Judgment is mercy" [ as is brought in the holy Zohar ]. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Authorization — Hilchos Harsha'ah , Halachah 3, sub-section 5.)

This is known — and all of Israel believe it — that Hashem, may He be blessed, is entirely good, and governs His world with kindness and His creatures with mercy, and all that the Merciful One does, He does for good [ Berachos 60b ]. But all the adventures, ordeals, and sufferings that pass over every person — all of this is because Hashem loves charity and justice [ tzedakah u'mishpat ] — and all the charities and kindnesses that He performs He clothes in the aspect of judgment in His wondrous ways that are utterly incomprehensible — as the liturgical poet composed: "In the place of judgment there is no charity etc. — yet You, through judgment, perform charity" [ from the Yom Kippur liturgy — the same paradoxical formulation encountered earlier in the Yeerah chapter (§136) ]. Therefore there is no counsel or stratagem to be saved from the afflictions of the world except through prayer and supplication — that one multiply prayer each day. As our Sages of blessed memory taught: "A person should always pray before trouble comes" . And prayer always avails — for his salvation will come in the blink of an eye — unawares precisely — just as most troubles and sufferings, G‑d spare us, come unawares, as is seen plainly: a person goes wandering in his many thoughts, worrying greatly about his livelihood and worldly affairs — sometimes out of necessity and sometimes out of sheer excess — and suddenly there come upon him, G‑d forbid, afflictions and troubles that had never entered his mind at all — until most often they admit their own foolishness, saying: "Yesterday we worried about lack of livelihood and the like — and now there have come upon us strange troubles that never entered our mind at all — such as false accusations, fires, and the like, G‑d spare us." And therefore our Sages truly instituted to pray before trouble comes — and to pray each day to be saved from such troubles: as one prays: "May it be Your will to save us etc." And sometimes the reverse — that the person is burdened with his worries and suddenly Hashem sends him great or small salvation and relief — something that had not entered his mind at all: which is the aspect of a found treasure that comes unawares. And everything flows only through His providence — from the aspect of the governance by which He governs His world in the aspect of charity and justice. But the attribute of good is always greater — for even though Hashem loves justice — He loves even more to perform charity and kindness with His creatures — and the judgment itself is also performed with great charity and kindness — for the earth is full of the kindness of Hashem [ Psalms 119:64 ]. And since the root of the aspect of the governance of judgment and charity is drawn from the aspect of the Torah of Hashem and the Prayer of Hashem [ Toras Hashem and Tfilas Hashem — the Torah attributed to G‑d and the prayer attributed to G‑d; the highest dimensions of Torah and prayer that transcend the human level entirely — see HaMtakas HaDinim [Sweetening of Judgments], entry 6 ] — therefore one must especially multiply prayer and supplication and entreaty each day and in everything that passes over him — and bind oneself to the true Tzadikim who have merited the aspect of the Torah of Hashem and the Prayer of Hashem truly — for they are in the aspect of Mashiach — and they merit in completeness the aspect of charity and judgment, Torah of Hashem and Prayer of Hashem — and they arouse and draw upon us the aspect of the wondrous supernal kindnesses drawn from the aspect of Prayer of Hashem — through which all the strict judgments are sweetened and all the troubles and sufferings are nullified — and one merits to receive great kindnesses and salvations suddenly and completely unawares . And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory taught: "Three things come unawares: Mashiach, a m'tzi'ah [found treasure], and a scorpion" [Sanhedrin 97a] — for sometimes a person worries, and his thoughts chase after finding a m'tzi'ah and relief — and what will be afterward he cannot know — for suddenly great troubles and sufferings come upon him — which are the aspect of the scorpion's bite that also comes unawares. And sometimes the reverse, as above. And all of this flows from the aspect of the governance of charity and justice — which is above all knowledge — for it is impossible for human knowledge to fully comprehend this. But the judgment is united with the charity in complete unification — in one oneness. And the essential rectification for all of this is through the true Tzadikim who are in the aspect of Mashiach as above. And therefore these three things come unawares — for all this governance is in the aspect of above all knowledge. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Gifts — Hilchos Matanah , Halachah 5, sub-sections [ osios ] לב, לג, לד — passages 32, 33, and 34 of that Halachah. See also: Mashiach [Messiah], entry 21.)

In truth we do not know at all in this world what to call a m'tzi'ah [find/windfall] and what to call a scorpion's bite — for there are those who find great wealth and in the end it turns into enormous evil, G‑d forbid, even in this world — and all the more so in the World to Come: in the aspect of: " Osher shamur livala'av l'ra'aso — Wealth guarded by its owner to his own harm" [Ecclesiastes 5:12] . And conversely there are those who have poverty, pressure, and sufferings — and in truth it is for great good even in this world — and all the more so in the World to Come — as our Sages of blessed memory taught: "For the righteous — the beginning is suffering and the end is tranquility" [Bereishis Rabbah 32:3] . And in truth, the essential m'tzi'ah and the true windfall is when one merits each day to find the good that is hidden within it — as is brought in the holy Zohar: " Leit yoma d'leit beih tav — There is no day that does not have its good — but how many serpents and scorpions circle it and confuse one's thought from entering that good" [Zohar — as cited also in §145 of the Yeerah chapter] — meaning: each day a person can merit to attain more in Torah and divine service — and this is the essential good and m'tzi'ah and true windfall in this world and the World to Come. But how many serpents and scorpions circle it and confuse one's thought from entering that good — which is the aspect of the evil thoughts and confused musings that confuse and prevent a person from entering into that good — and this is the essential aspect of the scorpion's bite. And sometimes this very thing — that one's thought is so burdened and confused pursuing the m'tzi'ah and windfall of this world — that itself is the essential scorpion's bite. Therefore one must multiply prayer and supplication before Hashem, may He be blessed enormously — and the essential [goal] is to be saved at least from the scorpion's bite — and then the good m'tzi'ah will come of itself, unawares. And this is the aspect of: " Al zos yispaleil kol chasid eilecha l'eis metzoi, raq l'sheteif mayim rabbim eilav lo yagi'u — For this let every pious person pray to You at a time of finding — only that the flood of great waters not reach him" [Psalms 32:6] — for the essential of his prayers is to be saved right now from the flood of the great brazen waters of the [confused] thoughts and confusions — which are the essential scorpion's bite — and then the good m'tzi'ah will come into his hand of itself, unawares. For through the abundance of prayers one multiplies to be saved from the scorpion's bite in physical and spiritual matters (whose root is drawn from the aspect of the governance of judgment and law as above) — through this one arouses and draws the wondrous kindnesses which are the aspect of the charity that sweetens the judgment — and through this one merits of itself to find all the good finds drawn in their root from the aspect of kindness and charity — whose root comes from the aspect of Prayer of Hashem. And in truth according to how the scorpion lurks to bite the person every day and at every time physically and spiritually — there is no counsel and no stratagem to be saved from it except to hide oneself in the shadow of His wings : " Attah seiter li mitzar titzereni, ranei faleit t'soveveni selah — You are a shelter for me from trouble — You surround me with songs of rescue, Selah" [Psalms 32:7] . (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Gifts, sub-sections [ osios ] לד, לה, and לו — passages 34, 35, and 36 of that Halachah.)

All the sufferings a person has, G‑d forbid — in body, soul, and money — G‑d spare us — are, in general, against his will — for a person's will is certainly that everything should run for him in order. And sufferings are a deviation from his will. And the greater the deviation against his will — the greater the sufferings, G‑d forbid. And all of this flows because he did not strive fully to draw the joy and tranquility of Shabbos into the weekdays — and did not draw the revelation of His simple oneness from within changing actions — through which all sufferings — which are themselves the aspect of changing actions — are sweetened and nullified, and everything runs for him in order. Therefore when a person sees that he has sufferings — he must then be especially careful to abandon the hatred he has toward his fellow in his heart and nullify all kinds of strife — and seek only love, peace, and friendship. For the more Israel are unified together in love and friendship — through this the aspect of simple oneness is revealed more from within changing actions — and through this all sufferings are nullified. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Unloading and Loading — Hilchos P'rikah v'T'einah , Halachah 4, sub-sections [ osios ] ב and י — passages 2 and 10 of that Halachah.)

All the troubles and sufferings that Hashem, may He be blessed, sends upon a person — all of it is only to draw close and not to distance , G‑d forbid — for all that the Merciful One does, He does for good. Therefore the essential counsel is to accustom oneself to give thanks and praise to Hashem for all the kindnesses and wonders He has done from one's very beginning until this very day — and for all the expansivenesses one finds within the trouble itself . And through this one will be able to strengthen oneself even more to pour out one's heart before Hashem — since He has already shown such immense kindness — therefore it is fitting that He will not abandon one, G‑d forbid, in the future either — and that He help and save with complete salvation to exit the trouble entirely. And also through this todah and thanksgiving — through this the simple oneness is revealed from within changing actions — and through this all the sufferings are nullified of themselves. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Unloading and Loading, sub-section [ os ] יב — passage 12 of that Halachah. See also: HisChazakus [Strengthening Oneself], entry 114.)

The matter of how this world is full of sufferings and deficiencies — and all of it flows only from the lack of knowledge [ chesron hada'as ] — and the essential knowledge is holy faith — for one who has complete faith and knows that everything comes from Hashem, may He be blessed, through His providence alone — lives a good life always — see the chapter Emunah [Faith] etc., entry 190. [End of the chapter Yissurin v'Yishuah — Suffering and Salvation. ]