Hashgochah Pratis in Sifrei Kodesh
Life presents us with many challenges. At times we find ourselves in a maze of difficulties that seems to have no end. Is there a real way to get out of this maze?
When cleaning a stubborn stain, the person who cleans it gets dirty himself, depending on how hard he needed to work to clean it. Likewise, with pain: Focusing on it will only strengthen its hold on us and leave us trapped by it.
Instead of focusing on our pain, we need to bring Hakadosh Baruch Hu into our lives. The Alschich explains the passuk, “And if the traveling is too far for you to be able to carry it, for the place will be far from you” (Devarim 14:24): When a person is in a situation in which “he is not able to carry it,” meaning that he feels that he cannot bear the difficulties facing him, it is because “the place is far from you.” The word place refers to Hashem, Who is Omnipresent, and this suffering person is far from Hashem.
We learn from here that when a person is in pain, the reason for it is that he has distanced himself from Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and when he brings Hakadosh Baruch Hu into all his ways, then the way will be less burdensome for him and he will go through everything easily.
Regarding this, the Maggid of Dubno gives a succinct mashal: There was once a businessman who hired a porter to carry his packages. When he saw the porter straining himself and sweating, he immediately knew that it was not his package that the porter was carrying, for his package contained only a small number of expensive diamonds, which were easy to carry.
We are on a mission in this world. When things are difficult, it is sign that we have forgotten Hashem. When we bring Hakadosh Baruch Hu into our lives, when we bring bitachon and emunah back into our lives, when we feel closeness to Hashem — all the difficulties and the pain will disappear, and everything will go easily.
Excerpts from the popular shiur by Harav Hatzaddik R’ Beirish Shneebalg shlit”a
