Although we Embrace Yesurim, We Pray that they Leave Us
Being happy with yesurim isn't a contradiction to davening that the yesurim leave us. To apply the mashal we mentioned above, a person is happy when he goes to the dentist. He is fixing up his teeth! But he would be happier if he didn't need the dentist. The same is true with yesurim. We are happy with the yesurim, but that doesn't mean that the situations are easy and we should daven to be freed from the yesurim.
Reb Nosson Meir Wachtfogel zt'l, mashgiach of Lakewood, said in the name of the Chofetz Chaim zt'l that when the heavenly court asks לישועה ציפית, it doesn’t only refer to the salvation of Klal Yisrael as a whole, rather also to the salvation of each individual. Every person will be asked whether he hoped for Hashem's salvation during difficult times. Did he trust that Hashem will save him?
The Kobriner (Toras Avos, Drachim b'Avodas Hashem 209) would say, "A Yid must believe that the darkness has an end; the darkness will disappear, and in its place will be light."
The Kobriner (Toras Avos, Emunah u'Bitachon 42) explained the pasuk (Tehillim 116:10) מאד עניתי אני אדבר כי האמנתי. The poor person says, האמנתי, I believe that the day will yet come, אדבר כי, when I will be able to say מאוד עניתי אני, 'that I was poor.' I believe that one day, I will be able to look at my life of poverty as something of the past, and I will praise Hashem for saving me from it." The day will come when he will be wealthy, and he will talk about his poverty in the past tense. He will tell how Hashem saved him and gave him the wealth he has now.
The Yismach Yisrael teaches that t states צר לו צרתם בכל, whenever Yidden are in a tzarah, Hashem is in distress together with them. Therefore, it is obvious that Hashem doesn't want to bring the tzarah. He suffers together with us when we have a tzarah! But because of His love to us and His knowledge that this is what we need, Hashem brings yesurim to us. Nevertheless, it is obvious that Hashem, and the person, would prefer if there can be no yesurim, at all.
We repeat the Rashi we mentioned above (18:13) לו ותצפה בתמימות עמו תהלך, "Conduct yourself with Him with temimus and look up to Him [for His salvation].... Accept whatever happens to you with temimus." In the same Rashi that defines תמימות, Rashi discusses accepting whatever happens, and to look up to Hashem, and to request a salvation. It isn't a contradiction. We can pray for a better situation, one that we don't even need the yesurim. We wait for the time when the dinim will turn into rachamim, and we will see the revealed good. But until that occurs, we know that whatever Hashem brings us is for the best, and we are happy with it.
It states in this week's parashah (20:1) כי תירא לא ממך רב עם ורכב סוס וראית אויביך על למלחמה תצא מהם, "When you go out to war against your enemies, and you see horse and chariot, people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of them." The Torah tells us not to be afraid in a frightening situation when there is a war and the enemy is stronger. Rabbeinu Yonah adds that this isn't only discussing war. It is discussing any trouble that a person knows is approaching. He should trust in Hashem. Rabbeinu Yonah writes, "Hashem's salvation shall be in his heart. He should trust in Hashem. As it states (Tehillim 85:10) ישעו ליראיו קרוב אך, "Truly, His salvation is near those who fear Him." Similarly, the Chareidim (ch.21:31) writes, "This pasuk obligates us never to lose hope in Hashem’s compassion, even when a person sees that a tzarah is approaching, and to completely trust in Hashem's salvation."
This is an important lesson. We have to develop bitachon. We face problems and fears, and we must feel that Hashem will undoubtedly help us. At the same time, we see it is ok for a person to want matters to improve. A person doesn't say, "This is for the good, so why should I want it to change?" This isn't the approach we take because although it is for the good, it is bitter, it is painful, and it could even be heart-wrenching, r'l. Although a person knows that it is for his good, nevertheless, he can definitely look forward to a better future. As Rashi writes, לו ותצפה, and as the Rabbeinu Yonah writes, "The salvation of Hashem should be in your heart." You should look forward to the salvation that will come.
