T170 PNC - Hashem How Many Are My Foes — Foes Match Soul Level / Multitude of Foes = Spiritual Stature (1 seg)

Opening verse: 'Hashem, how many are my foes; many rise up against me' (Psalms 3:2). Each person, according to their soul and the level of their divine service, has their own specific form of suffering. One person suffers from his children, his father, or a close neighbor. Another — on a higher spiritual level — suffers from more distant opponents. One grows beyond local conflict and finds his foes even further afield. The teaching: the nature and scope of one's foes and sufferings are a direct reflection of one's spiritual level. A person who only suffers from small, close conflicts is operating at a lower spiritual level. As one rises spiritually, the opposition also rises — becoming more formidable, more encompassing, more 'many.' This is why the verse says 'how many' — the multitude of foes is itself a testament to the person's spiritual stature. The more one grows, the greater the opposition becomes, because there is more at stake and more to protect.