The story seems very perplexing, on a few levels, but I’d like to address one: How can we ever daven to Hashem to remove our pain and suffering, or – for that matter – have bitachon and trust in the Eibishter to remove our pain and suffering? After all, it is without doubt that if we are enduring hardship, it is coming from Hashem, for a purpose. Moreover, since Hashem is “Etem hatov”, about whom we say מטבע הטוב להיטיב and מאתו לא תצא הרעות, it is also without doubt that the purpose is one that is for our benefit. What sane person would ask - or trust – that he should lose something beneficial?! Would any normal person refuse a treatment from his physician, that may be painful or uncomfortable, but that he knows is saving his life?!
The question is even stronger based on what we learn on the subject in chassidus. In chassidus, we learn that suffering comes from higher and deeper relationships with the Eibishter, as indicated in the possuk אשרי הגבר אשר תייסרנו קה. Who, then, would want them to be removed?
But, in fact, the Rebbe himself addresses this question, in numerous places (amongst them in the maamar דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל in melukat hey). The Rebbe brings in the name of the Tzemach Tzedek that the Eibishter is a כל יכול למחול גם בלי יסורין. Meaning to say: Of course, the suffering is serving a purpose and is meant to accomplish something. But the Eibishter is not, ch”v, limited in any way at all. He can accomplish anything that needs to be accomplished in a painless manner, if He so desires. Thus, even though we don’t want to give up on any of the benefits, we can still ask and expect to be spared any pain.
How, then, can we reconcile what the Rebbe said to the doctor (or to Rabbi Groner) with what the Rebbe himself explains in numerous sichos and maamorim?
In truth, however, if we think about it, the above answer of the Tzemach Tzedek seems hard to understand: One of the basic concepts that we learn about very extensively in chassidus, and especially in the sichos and maamorim of the Rebbe, is that the goal of dira lo yisborach batachtonim can only be reached through the tachtonim themselves, via their own nature, becoming permeated with Elokus. If the revelation of G-dliness in the world is a result of, or an expression of, the Omnipotence of the Eibishter, then the goal of dira batachtonim has not been realized.
[This was why the first beis hamikdosh wasn’t enough, why after ma’amad Har Sinai there had to be a mishkan, why the Eibishter had to make a condition with the sea to split, why the Alter Rebbe wanted his chassidim to have a different avodah than the chosid of R’ Chaim Chaikel of Amdur, vechulu vechulu vechulu].
To apply that idea to our discussion; - if I am incapable of experiencing giluy Elokus, because I have contaminated my neshomo by my behaviour, necessitating a zichuch, a refinement, wouldn’t that refinement have to be connected with my metzius, my nature, in order to be b’pnimiyus? If my grobkeit is removed through the כל יכול of the Eibishter, how can that help us reach the goal of dira batachtonim?
In fact, we seem to find sources for both approaches in gemoro: In the beginning of meseches Brochos (5b), the gemoro relates about 3 amora’im who were ill. Each was asked if they are willing to tolerate their yisurin, and each answered, unequivocally, לא הן ולא שכרן; - “No, they are not wanted”! They didn’t say that they are interested in the (spiritual) benefits of their suffering. They altogether rejected them. Perhaps because they knew that if Hashem wants, He can provide them in any case.
In contrast, in Bava Metzia (84b), we learn about how R’ Elozor (the son of Rabi Shimon bar Yochai) requested and invited excruciating yisurin (which the gemoro there describes) to afflict him, in order to atone for a possible misjudgement, and he didn’t try to achieve that atonement by virtue of the Eibishter being a כל יכול.
I would like to propose 2 answers to the questions, I’m sure many of you will have better answers, ואם, שגיתי יהא הטוב יכפר:
1) The Balance of Suffering and Avodas Hashem
Perhaps, indeed, it is correct, that it won’t be as complete and accomplishing if the atonement is reached via the omnipotence of Hashem; - because the Eibishter is a כל יכול, because then it is not fully tied to the nature of the person, and it lacks the full advantage of dira batachtonim (which needs to be מצד ענינו של התחתון). However, suffering yissurin will also, inevitably, hinder and affect our avodas Hashem. We won’t be able to learn or daven as much, or as well, as if we were spared this suffering. Therefore, it is preferable to be spared the suffering, by virtue of Hashem being a “kol yochol”, although that may affect one aspect of the advantage of dira batachtonim in our avodas Hashem, since, overall, it will enhance our avodas Hashem.
According to this, if there is someone who is an exceptional person, who knows about himself that his suffering will not diminish his avodas Hashem at all, then he may indeed want to have the yissurin, because for him they are only a benefit.
Seemingly this thought can be supported by both of the above gemoros: In the story with the 3 amora’im (in the gemoro in Brochos), when they were asked if they would like their suffering to continue, they each replied לא הן ולא שכרן. They didn’t merely say that they don’t want to suffer, they clearly emphasized their understanding that losing the suffering would, inevitably, mean losing certain spiritual benefits, the “schoron”, that would not be replaced (not even by virtue of the fact that Hashem is a “kol yochol”). But, despite that, there would be some even greater benefit by being spared the pain and suffering (that caused them to, nonetheless, refuse them).
[My father, R’ Refoel Menachem Nochum a”h, during the final weeks of his life, was experiencing unimaginable, excruciating pain (may Hashem spare every single Yid any further suffering). One day, I think it was in the final week, I was with him in the hospital. I could see that he was in terrible terrible pain (ע"ל ע"ול). At one point, I remarked “Daddy, do you remember the gemoro לא הן ולא שכרן?” (When I was in 4th grade, before I started learning gemoro in cheder, my father a”h started teaching me gemoro. He started with gemoro Brochos, from the beginning, and (amongst other things), he then imparted to me his special geshmak and appreciation for the agadeta in the gemoros). Immediately, he replied to me “Definitely לא הן”!].
This idea seems even more apparent if we examine, closer, the abovementioned gemoro in bava metzia: There, the gemoro relates that Rabi Elazar ben Rabi Shimon invited his yissurin (referring to them as “my brethren and friends”). But every morning he would send them away for the day, so that they shouldn’t lead to bitul Torah.
So, we see that although R’ Elazar wanted the suffering, because of the spiritual benefit that they would bring him, still, he knew that that would not be justified if they would affect other areas of his avodas Hashem. And, even his nightly suffering, which he did invite, was because he was clearly, in the unique position of being able to suffer unimaginable pain all night long (as the gemoro describes there in graphic detail), without his avodas Hashem of the day being affected!
2) The Eibishter’s Omnipotence and Suffering
Another possibility is that when the Rebbe brings from the Tzemach Tzedek that the Eibishter is a כל יכול למחול גם בלי יסורין, it means that the Eibishter, in His Omnipotence, can find a way to get us the full benefit even without yissurin (as we seem to see in the abovementioned maamar, that even an atonement that results from the Eibishter being a “kol yochol”, can be – somehow – b’pnimiyus). Thus, there is never any reason to necessitate a Yid suffering, and we can always daven and trust מחוק ברחמיך הרבים אבל לא ע"י יסורין.
However, this is true, perhaps, only with regards to the suffering of an individual, where the purpose is individual atonement. But in the case of unique individuals, specifically the nossi hador, the Moshiach of the generation, where the yissurin are serving a more global purpose (of חליינו הוא נשא ומכאובינו הוא סבלם), perhaps there this reasoning wouldn’t apply.
The conclusion of either of these explanations would be the same: that for any of us, for אנשים כערכינו, there is no reason to suffer! As long as we’re not vying to be Moshiach, and we recognize our limitations, then we can ask and demand and expect that the Eibishter should spare us any pain and suffering, and מחוק ברחמיך הרבים אבל לא ע"י עיוורים וחליים רעים. Of course, we have to realize that when the Eibishter does remove them, our avodas Hashem does have to markedly increase!
