The Kabbalists describe two levels of reality; the revealed world (Alma De’isgalya) and the hidden world (Alma De’iskasya). In its source - the G-dly reality of the hidden world - everything is good. When it flows down into the revealed world of our reality, for reasons we do not and cannot understand, this goodness can manifest in a negative form.
The Gemara tells the story of the great sage Nachum Ish Gamzu. He was given this name because he would always say ‘Gam Zu Letovah’, this too is good. When faced with challenging and even life-threatening situations, Nachum’s incredible faith led him to see that it was truly good.
Through defining his reality by the way things are in their source, Nachum with his Bitachon was able to affect a change in status, so that the hidden goodness was not just theoretical but became tangibly revealed in this world, as he successfully elevated the challenge to its G-dly source. As a result, whatever challenges he faced, would become revealed as the ultimate goodness and blessing.
This is the message of Moshe’s snake. The Jewish people were plagued with poisonous snakes of negativity and adversity. The snake raised up on a pole told the Jewish people not to ‘judge by what their eyes saw’ and focus on the negative presentation of the snakes ‘on the ground’.
Rather, they should look upwards and see the snake as it exists in its source ‘above’. If they would do so, they would realise that all in good and that there is no negativity and nothing to fear. They would be healed as the good became manifest.
We may not be on the level of Nachum Ish Gamzu and our challenges in this world may remain challenges. But we can all gain from trying to live with this perspective. We can find tremendous strength and peace by reframing how we choose to see things.
When we experience the snakes in our lives, we should ’look upwards’ and meditate on this; Everything and every situation comes to us from Hashem. Hashem is absolute Good and from Him comes only good. So, this too is good. I may not see it, but I trust and believe that it is so.
In reward for this Bitachon, may Hashem remove all manifestations of negativity from our lives and transform our reality to reflect its ‘source’. Then we will see the deepest blessing and goodness in a revealed and tangible way.
