Summary and Practical Conclusions
The world in which we live is one that contains struggles and trials. Usually these are small, day-to-day trials, but at times a person is confronted with difficult, momentous trials that test his entire system of values and faith. A person must know that he cannot escape the trials that Heaven has assigned him, for part of the task that a person is charged with in this world is the “service of trials.”
Trials come upon a person by Divine providence. A person must not seek out trials or deliberately enter into a trial, because trials are very powerful and can cause a severe upheaval even for the most perfect person. That is why we pray every day: “Do not bring us to a trial.” Our Sages (Avot 2:4) caution: “Do not believe in yourself until the day of your death.” This is due to recognizing the power of a trial and the intense turmoil it can cause. But when trials do come upon a person, he must strive to withstand them.
One of the common struggles people face is the habit of constant complaining — a lingering resentment toward the way G-d is guiding their lives. This is a serious shortcoming. The Jewish people are called the “hosts of G-d,” reminding us that just as in an army, soldiers must follow their commander’s orders with complete obedience — even when the orders are difficult or seem beyond understanding — and they are not permitted to respond with complaints. Even when they are sent into dangerous areas, risking their lives to safeguard our holy land and those who dwell in it, they must follow their orders without protest.
The same is true in our service of G-d. We are meant to see ourselves as soldiers in His service, accepting the directives of the supreme Commander with wholehearted obedience — and refraining from complaints or from indulging in endless questions.
By withstanding a trial, a person attains knowledge that he did not have before. The trial, although its essence is the hiding of the Divine Face, conceals within it a Divine spark that is rooted in the holiest heights. The person is tasked with standing firm through the trial and thereby tearing away all the concealing veils, extracting that Divine life-force from hiddenness to revelation—a revelation that will then continue to shine into his soul.
Shabbat Shalom!
