If a person encounters a tzarah – a problem r”l, and he accepts it from Hashem with love and joy, the mere acceptance of the pain with love, converts the troubles to revealed and real good. The letters "צרה" convert to ".רצה"
The Baal-Shem-Tov, Keser Shem Tov. Based on Hiskashrus Sivan 15, 5784.
יהפכו ימים אלה לששון ולשמחה!
UFARATZTA
There's an old Chasidic saying, “There are two ways to deal with darkness. You can curse it, or you can ignite light. But darkness is never expelled by cursing it or trying to chase it away with sticks or stones. It's light that dispels darkness.”
Here’s a lovely story I heard from Rabbi Naftali Reuven Kornreich, leader of the Kosov-Vizhnitz community, who heard it from the original source.
There was a large shul in Haifa, Israel, that attracted many Jews who would come to pray there on Shabbat and holidays. But right nearby, there was an Israeli Jew who kept his clothing store open on Shabbos and attracted a lot of people. It was bothersome to the spirit of the holy day and to the environment right nearby, which was a great shul in Haifa. The rabbi of the shul went to this Jew and pleaded with him to close the store, at least during the hours of services. But this Jew absolutely refused.
“My store is going to remain open,” he said. And in desperation, the rabbi came to a Chassidic master living in Haifa, Rabbi Boruch Hager, the Seret-Vizhnitzer Rebbe. “Rebbe, what am I supposed to do with this person? It's so uncomfortable for our shul. It’s so uncomfortable for the Jews. It's such a desecration of Shabbos.” The Rebbe looked at him and said, “I want to ask you a question. Do you love this Jew who keeps his store open on Shabbos?”
The rabbi was taken aback. “How can I love him when he spits in the face of our community every single Shabbos? How can I love him when he shows such disdain to our religion and our faith? How can I love him when he's so disrespectful to our entire community? No, I don't love him.”
The Rebbe looked back at him and said, “Rabbi, maybe it's the other way around. How do you know you don’t love him because he violates the Shabbos? Maybe it's the exact opposite.
That’s not what the rabbi expected to hear. “So what should I do?” asked the rabbi. “Start loving him,” answered the Rebbe. “But I don’t!” “So start!” “How do I start?” “Well, sometimes you have to begin with words, but they have to be genuine. Next Shabbos on your way to shul, go into the store and tell this Jew that you love him.”
The rabbi was very hesitant, but to his credit, he did it. The next Shabbos morning, he walks into the store, and this Jew sees him and tells him, “Get out of here! I'm not closing the store for Shabbos! Forget about it. Go out!” The rabbi, though, quickly clarified. “No, no, no. I came here for one reason: to tell you that I love you. He looked at him. “Are you insane?” “No. I just wanted to tell you that I love you.” “Why do you love me?” asked the store owner. “I love you because you're my brother. You are a Jew and I am a Jew. We are both children of G-d. I love you because I know that you have a holy and great soul and I want to give you a hug. The store owner Jew melted, and he and the rabbi embraced.
The next Shabbos morning, the rabbi did the same thing. Every Shabbat morning thereafter, he would come into the store and give the Jew a hug, and tell him, “I love you.” Six months later, the store was closed for Shabbos. The rabbi could have easily concluded that loathing him is surely justified and righteous. In his mind, it would have been self-righteous and holy hate. He might have never entertained the idea that his hate was not the result, but the cause of the problem.
If every one of us would know what we could accomplish through truly loving each other, we would experience results like this. It’s truly incredible.
63 DAYS UNTIL UMAN
