There is a teaching from R’ Nosson (K’laei Behemah 4:9), which is particularly appropriate for our times. He writes as follows:
There is a general rule that one must not combine various tzaros (troubles) together, because then, they would be unbearable, G-d forbid. In other words, one must make sure that he does not let his mind become overwhelmed by his troubles, to the point that he imagines that that “the whole world is falling on top of him,” as if all the tzaros have come upon him without any reprieve at all. But in fact, one’s attitude affects his situation, because if someone speaks in this negative way, his heart becomes distorted and he feels distant from Hashem, and he feels incapable of crying out to Hashem, and then indeed his troubles increase, G-d forbid. This is because anyone who focuses excessively on his troubles causes that more troubles are drawn to him.
Rather, one must create space in his mind, finding some reprieve within these troubles and thereby be able to thank Hashem at all times.
The truth is that in any tzarah in the world has some reprieve, some positive element, in it, as it says (Tehillim 4:2), “In my distress, You relieved me” (see Likutei Moharan, 1:195). In last week’s parashah. When Yaakov Avinu was sending the various flocks of animals to Esav, he instructed (Bereishis 32:17), “Make a space between one flock and the next,” and Chazal taught (Bereishis Rabbah 75:13) that this hints to times of tzaros — he was asking Hashem to make spaces between the various tzaros so that the challenges would not be overwhelming. For example, the Jewish people endured many exiles, but there were many times of peace between these exiles.
When there is a tzarah, the side of impurity wants to distort one’s heart, as if the situation is hopeless, G-d forbid. That mentality is actually worse than the problem itself. This is the main problem in exile — that the nations who oppress us denigrate us and try to rob us of hope. Yaakov Avinu subdued these impure forces, and he ordered, when sending his flocks, to create spaces between them. This gives us the ability, even when one is in a tzarah, to look at the positive aspect, whether it is the previous kindnesses he has received from Hashem or even the points of space and relief within the tzarah itself. This attitude will infuse one with hope, such that he will find the ability to cry out to Hashem, and then he will actually be saved from all his troubles, out of Hashem’s great kindness.
This is all associated with Chanukah. The Chanukah miracle occurred in the times of the Second Temple, when the evil Greek kingdom sought to separate us from the Torah and terminate the service in the Beis HaMikdash. Hashem, in His great compassion, saved us in this time of trouble and performed awesome miracles through Matisyahu and his sons, the Kohanim, until they were victorious over the Greeks. They then were able to restore the service of the Beis HaMikdash and rekindle the Menorah without a pause, through the great miracle of a little oil lasting for eight days.
Why was this necessary at that time? Because actually, the whole period of the Second Beis HaMikdash was only give in order to fulfill “the space between the flocks” which Yaakov achieved. He caused that we would have this period of reprieve between the exile that preceded it (Babylon) and the one that followed it (Rome). This reprieve gave us the ability to endure the bitterness of the exile that followed. And the kelipah, the impure force behind the Greek Empire, understood this, and this is precisely why it sought to conquer us and put an end to our service in the Beis HaMikdash — so that the troubles would be very close together and we would not have the strength to endure them, G-d forbid. Had they succeeded in completely terminating the service in the Beis HaMikdash and starting the next period of exile right then, it would be very hard for us to hold on. Even now, our collective ability to survive this long period of exile comes from the prior periods of relief which Hashem has provided for us thus far.
For this reason, Hashem had compassion and nullified the schemes of our enemies and did the exact opposite for us. Not only did those Kohanim gain kingship over the Land of Israel, but Hashem performed the great miracle of the Menorah which gave us a new holiday. This brought a new light and rectification into the world. Through these holy days of Chanukah, we gain the ability to draw to ourselves the path and gratitude and thanksgiving to Hashem (see Likutei Moharan 2:2). Whether it is the community that is suffering or an individual, we can revive ourselves by recalling all the wonders Hashem has done in the past (and in the present).
These words of R’ Nosson are as relevant now as they were in his day. There is a tendency to focus on bad news all the time (especially if one is glued to the news stations, which thrive on negativity). For one’s own sanity and to even improve the situation, it is imperative to also look at the positive points, and there are plenty of positive points as well, whether these are miracles or mitzvos that people are taking on. By doing so, we should all merit salvation, on a personal and communal level.
