How many prophecies of the nevi’im relate what will happen on “that day” when the redemption will come! How many yeshuos and nechamos are awaiting us! “And you will say on that day, Hodu laHashem....” “And you will say on that day, this is our G-d, in Whom we have trusted....” “On that day I cause the reign of the House of Yisrael to sprout....” “On that day the mountains will drip rich juices....” “On that day a great shofar will be blown....” “On that day Hashem will be One.”
The eternal prophecies of consolation and of the eternal and complete geulah tell about that day in the future, that day that is surely so close.
At the end of Shaar Habitachon Rabbenu Bachyai brings the passuk from Yeshayahu (26:8) that also talks about “that day”: “Even [when we are subjected to] Your judgment, Hashem, we placed our hopes in You.” Mefarshim explain that “Your judgment” refers to difficulty and suffering. Even when Your judgment comes, causing us suffering in the galus; with all this, “Hashem, we hope toward You.” “Hashem” hints to rachamim. Despite the suffering, we will not despair of the geulah! And how do we strengthen ourselves so as not to fall into despair? The passuk continues: “Every person’s desire is directed to Your Name and Your Memory.” Everyone’s desire is to be reminded of Your Name and to say something from You.
This is how a Yid copes in galus, strengthening himself in bitachon again and again, and not giving up. Again and again he needs to remember that the suffering is a cure administered by a merciful Father. How great is parents’ desire to bestow good on their children, and when they see a child suffering, how greatly they wish and desire to make things easier for him! And our good Father in Shamayim, Who shows man mercy more than any other merciful being, does everything in order to lighten things for us, with a precise cheshbon, so that it will not hurt more than necessary. It is possible that the yetzer hara comes to a person and tells him, “See how much you are suffering, see what happened to you. Hashem abandoned you,” chalilah, and he speaks words of despair that weaken the person and lead him to believe that he has been left alone. We will not listen to these words! These are the words of the yetzer, who grabs a person during times of weakness and feeds him lies and disappointments, while the truth is that the Creator of all worlds watches over us all the time, nonstop, with chessed and rachamim, and He alone makes everything happen, and everything is for our good.
As in the words of Elifaz Hateimani, when he came to comfort his friend Iyov: “Fortunate is the man whom Hashem chastises, for He is the One Who smites and Who heals; He crushes, and His Hands soothe” (Iyov 5:17-18).
In Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 222) there is a special section that discusses making a brachah over both the good and the bad. It is concluded there that this is a halachah that every Jew must fulfill. It states (222:3), “A person is obligated to recite a blessing for bad things with full awareness and acceptance, just as he blesses happily for good things, because for an oved Hashem, even a bad occurrence brings him happiness, since he accepts lovingly whatever Hashem brought upon him, and by accepting it, he serves Hashem, and this is a joy for him.”
The Vilna Gaon says that the word “obligated” means that one must fulfill this halachah with mesirus nefesh! The Mishnah Berurah explains: “For truly all punishments, whether they affect a person’s body or his finances, all bring atonement for his sins, so that he will not need to suffer in the Next World.”
This is such a great favor, that Yitzchak Avinu was the first one who asked Hakadosh Baruch Hu that suffering should come upon a person in this world, while he is alive, and this will lessen the sins that he will be punished for in the World to Come. Hakadosh Baruch Hu answered him, “You did well to ask for this, and I will begin with you.” And indeed, Yitzchak experienced yissurim – “and his eyes grew dim,” and he became blind.
This is the right perspective on yissurim. A Yid had plans to make money, and instead of the number appearing on the left, with every additional zero multiplying its value by ten, he discovers that Hakadosh Baruch Hu moved the number over to the right, and all the zeros are worth nothing more than zero. He is liable to listen to the yetzer that causes him to despair, but he could listen to the Shulchan Aruch instead, and make a brachah on the loss just as he would make on a profit, for he believes that it is the best thing for him. And thus he says: Master of the world, if this is Your will – then it is my will as well. And then he accepts upon himself all the difficulties willingly, and his promised reward is very great.
“On that day,” thus says Yeshayahu hanavi about the times of the geulah, which are very near, “this song will be sung in the land of Yehuda” (Yeshayahu 26:1). What will that song be? “Despite your ways of judgment, Hashem, we placed our hopes in You.” We will yet sing and hum even about the dark galus, about all the difficulties and the agony, the tragedy and loss, the searing pain and the bitter mourning. On that day we will sing about the zechus of trusting and believing, hoping and anticipating, from within the valley of tears. On that day the mourning will turn into song, that song that is being written now with blood and tears.
We will yet merit and live to see all the promises of the nevi’im and of our Sages actualized, speedily in our days; amen
Excerpt from shiur 319, delivered with wondrous hashgachah in the month of Elul, 5783
