Perspectives for Difficult Times

Since we have been recently hearing some difficult news in Israel (with the recent tragedy of the Fogel family followed by the bombing near the Tachanah HaMerkazit) I wanted to post what I found to be a very inspiring thought from R' Twerski's sefer Visions of the Fathers.

In Perek Alef, Mishnah Zayin of Pirkei Avot, one of the things that we are told is "do not despair of retribution."

We can understand this to mean: do not despair when it seems that we're in a world of tzadik v'ra lo and rasha v'tov lo, where it seems that retribution is not being given fairly to those who deserve it.

There was once a time that R' Twerski was in a hospital to help interpret for an Israeli child who had to undergo open heart surgery in America. He describes a point where they had to do painful respiratory therapy with the boy and R' Twerski had to hold the father's hand as his child cried "Abba! They're hurting me! Don't let them do this to me!" The father finally could no longer restrain himself and broke into the treatment room pleading with his child: "Yossi, don't you want to get out of the hospital and come back home? If you have this done you will be able to come home soon!"

R' Twerski witnessed this event and thought of Hashem and the Jewish nation. We have had to undergo so much suffering, but do we hear Hashem lovingly telling us: "Don't you want to come home? It is necessary for you to undergo this pain in order for you to return home."

In Bava Basra 16b it says that it is not sinful for a person to complain to G-d when he is suffering, but one should never despair. Let us not fall into despair when we experience such heartbreaking and difficult events, but do our best to trust Hashem that He is the Dayan Emet and is doing what is necessary -- though painful -- to bring our nation home.

When we are in difficult times the Chofetz Chaim says to remember when Yosef revealed himself to his brothers and said "I am Yosef." At that moment, all of the past events that had occurred to the shvatim suddenly fell into place. That is how we should understand what will happen in the time of the geulah -- Hashem will say "I am G-d" and all of our questions that were unanswerable until then will be answered at once and our entire history will fall into place.

May the geulah come bimheirah b'yameinu.