"Let each man go his own way, but we will call out in God’s Name."
-Rebbe Nachman-
If you desire the good of this world and want to live at
ease without troubles, you will be constantly frustrated. The more you seek
good, the more you will find the opposite. Everything you manage to grasp will
be diluted with suffering. Look with truth and you will see this yourself.
It is written, “There is no wisdom, understanding or counsel against
God” (Proverbs 21: 30). The only way to be at ease is to be willing to
subsist on an absolute minimum. Firmly resolve to follow the dictum of the
Mishnah, “Bread with salt you shall eat … a life of privation you shall live.”
Accept upon yourself a life of deprivation and hardship in order to involve
yourself in the Torah – “in the Torah you shall toil.” Only then will
you have life, even in this world. “If you do so, ‘You will be happy’ … in this
world.” This is certainly true. No longer will you suffer from worldly
troubles. You have already accepted them upon yourself for the sake of the
Torah. All your life – all your good – is the true good. Thus, your life is a
true life. Happy are you – even in this world. * The person who
wants to live at ease in this world and enjoy its delights will find only
bitterness. “Even the slightest breeze will upset him” (Sotah 5a). The smallest
thing that happens contrary to his wishes will cause him to suffer greatly.
You may be immensely rich and powerful. You may be a lord or a king. It
is still impossible for everything to be you want, in a world filled with
suffering. The only way to escape this suffering is in the Torah. Accept
the way of the Torah, eating bread with salt … . Then you will be happy and it
will be good for you. Happy – even in this world. Look at the truth.
Understand well the troubles of this world. You will certainly see the truth of
this. You will find many of these [ideas] in the Rebbe’s teachings,
especially those printed together with the Sipurey Ma’asiot.[ 506] They are
also brought out most forcefully in the tale of “The Sophisticate and the
Simpleton” (Rabbi Nachman’s Stories #9). * Even pagan
philosophers realized that the world is filled with suffering, and discussed it
often in their works. They came to the conclusion that the only solution is
stoic forbearance. One must accept upon himself to endure all that happens to
him (Alim LeTerufah #441). But all their words are of no avail in a
world without the Torah that we Jews have been fortunate to receive. No one can
endure this world and not be overcome by its suffering. Only the Torah can
provide this strength. If you really think things out, you will realize
that this world in itself has absolutely no purpose. Imagine a world
filled with good and riches. Imagine a world in which there was no pain,
suffering or worry. It would still be empty and devoid of all purpose. For time
passes like the blink of an eye, and life is over. It is written, “Our days are
like a passing shadow” (Psalms 144: 4). Our Sages comment that life is not even
permanent, like the shadow of a palm tree (cf. Bereshit Rabbah 96: 3; Kohelet
Rabbah 1: 3). It is also written, “The days of our years are seventy years …
their pride is travail and vanity, for it is speedily gone and flies away”
(Psalms 90: 10). If even a perfect world would itself be purposeless,
what shall we say about the world in which we live? It is filled with pain,
sorrow and suffering without end. Every person’s life is filled with worries
about finances and concerns, troubles and problems – from the greatest to the
smallest, from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor. Everyone is
trapped by his limitations. The greatest emperors and kings are filled with
worries and fears without measure, as is understood by those who know about
their lives. Even the gentile wise men realized this. *
The only way out is to choose the Torah and its commandments. Make up your mind
to be satisfied with an absolute minimum in order to immerse yourself in the
Torah. Spend your days with Torah and devotion and you will be immune to
the world’s travail. You will shake off the toil and struggle of worldly
concerns and no longer taste the bitterness and anxiety they have to offer.
Devoted to God and His Torah, you will truly be alive, for this is the root of
life, both in this world and the next. You will then know that the words
of the Mishnah are correct, even in their plain meaning. You will have chosen
to live such a life, eating bread with salt, drinking water by measure,
sleeping on the ground and living a life of privation. You must be willing to
accept such a life, for there are times when even bread with salt and measured
water will not be abundant. But accept all this in order to immerse yourself in
the Torah – “in the Torah you shall toil.” If you do this, you will
certainly be “happy and it will be good for you … happy in this world.” You
will have accepted all the suffering the world has to offer and be worthy of
true life. You will then be worthy of perceiving the truth, and you will
know that the world was not created for ease and enjoyment. You will realize
that the person who seeks the delights of this world will find only pain and
vexation. The Torah is our life and the length of our days (Deuteronomy
30: 20). If you flee the struggles of the world to toil in the Torah, you will
be worthy of the World to Come, whose eternity reduces this entire world to the
blink of an eye in comparison. But besides this, you will also have a good life
in this world. The best way to handle this world is through forbearance.
This cannot be attained except through immersion in the Torah and its
commandments. Open your eyes to the truth and you will see this.
Ridicule these words and you only ridicule yourself. We speak the truth and it
is yours to accept. But if you wish to turn your back on it and remain stuck in
the deep quicksand (Psalms 69: 3) of this world, there is no one to prevent
you. “Let each man go his own way, but we will call out in God’s Name.”
These were the Rebbe’s words to a man who spoke to him at length. The Rebbe knew that this man was drowning in
the endless waters (Yebamot 121a) and wanted to rescue him. But the man
hardened his heart and turned a stubborn shoulder (Zechariah 7: 11; Nehemiah 9:
29), not accepting the Rebbe’s advice. He knew the Rebbe spoke the truth, but
refused to take his words to heart. The Rebbe said, “He is like a
drowning man who is about to die. A rescuer comes along and extends a hand to
lift him from the water. But the drowning man turns a stubborn shoulder and
turns his back in arrogance, not wanting to grasp the helping hand. He flees
from the one who comes to save him.” Heed these words! You will find
pleasure both in this world and the next.
-Rebbe Nachmans Book of wisdom -
No comments:
Post a Comment