In particular, Rebbe Nachman explains this mistaken approach regarding our questions in emunah. An example of this is the struggle with the contradiction between the reality of bechirah (freedom of choice) and the reality of yediah (the fact that Hashem knows everything that will happen even before it occurs). In an attempt to deal with this contradiction, many people search for explanations and resolutions until they find some sort of answer. But with further examination, they see that their supposed answer has many flaws and questions, and they can’t find a way to resolve these problems. So, they get stuck with a lot of doubts in emunah and the purpose of their existence.
However, what they don’t realize is that their questions are really the answer: they shouldn’t try to explain the contradiction between bechirah and yediah in the first place! Rebbe Nachman and many other great tzaddikim reveal to us that this contradiction is something that is beyond our ability to resolve. A human’s intellect is simply not able to comprehend it. Thus, our job right now is only to strengthen ourselves in emunah that both the reality of bechirah and the reality of yediah are true, but we just can’t understand how this works. Then, when Mashiach comes and we reach a higher level of daas, everything will be clear to us, as long as we hold onto our emunah right now.
Through this approach, we can escape all of the questions we have in life. When we’re faced with an issue, the first thing we should do is pray for Hashem’s help and strengthen ourselves to hold on. Next, we should begin to ask ourselves what measures we can take to truly resolve the issue, and not just replace it with a mistaken, temporary solution. We should try to be patient and really fix the problem, instead of acting out of impulse, which just causes us to get stuck with more doubts and confusion.
