One of the major parts of a simchah is the food one serves at the event. By many simchas, the baalei simchah hand over this task to a caterer, freeing themselves to be involved in the other elements.
If one would go into a simchah hall’s kitchen, it isn’t always evident what type of event they’re catering for. But, by looking at the amounts of food being prepared, one can usually guess what they’re catering for.
If he sees them making a pound of chrein, horseradish, then it’s probably a family Shabbos meal, maybe a sheva berachos. If there’s five pounds of chrein, then it’s more likely a bar mitzvah meal. Ten pounds of chrein are probably more for a chasunah, while twenty pounds would be more for a “Rebbishe” chasunah, and so forth. Again, the bigger the amount, the larger the party.
R’ Elimelech Biederman uses this mashal to explain a similar point to what we’ve brought above. When a person confronts a bit of chrein, i.e., bitterness in his life, then he could anticipate a nice Shabbos ahead. While it’s certainly an enjoyable meal, it doesn’t compare to that of a bar mitzvah. If there’s more bitterness, he can look forward to something better. The greater the darkness, the better the salvation awaits him.
So, when someone feels like he is encountering the greatest darkness, you know what he should expect? He should expect extreme good. The greater the darkness, the greater the forthcoming light.
Remember: “When the pot is bubbling, something good is cooking.”
