Stand Your Ground: You Will Prevail!

MyLife Essay Contest 2015

Have you ever found yourself in a situation in life in which there seems to be no way out? Have you ever experienced a problem so great, you cannot believe Hashem (G-d) has put you in this situation? Have you ever been in an utter daze, with the flabbergasting question, “How could this be happening to me?” ringing through your mind again and again?

Imagine you have been accused of a terrible thing that you didn’t do. You see no way to prove your innocence. Everyone is against you. How did it ever come to this? How do you deal with this, and prove your innocence? Imagine if you are suddenly faced with a terrible financial crises. Your business which you’ve spent years building up is about to fall apart, and you see no way out. How could this have happened? What
do you do now?

Here’s the good news: The Rebbe knows exactly what you’re going through. And he has addressed this issue in his Ma’amer from 5736: “You have given the ones who fear You trials with which to be tested, for the sake of the truth, forever.” In this Ma’amer, the Rebbe walks you through the test, and shows you how to pass it. The above pasuk is from Tehillim 60. Hashem gives those who fear Him trials – in order to test them – for the sake of truth, forever. The Targum Yonasan explains that “truth” in the pasuk is the truth established by Avraham, who passed the ten tests given to him by Hashem. And what is this truth?

Mesirus nefesh – self-sacrifice! And every Jew possesses the quality of mesirus nefesh, for we are the descendants of our forefather Avraham. The true and complete way of keeping Torah and mitzvos is through mesirus nefesh.

In general, keeping Torah and mitzvos is itself mesirus nefesh, because keeping Torah and mitzvos depends on overcoming the physical desires of the animal soul. Still, this is not mesirus nefesh in and of itself, for there is logic and reason involved in keeping Torah and mitzvos; the ultimate mesirus nefesh is above logic and reason.

In other words, there are two kinds of mesirus nefesh: Mesirus nefesh within logic and reason – generally associated with the basic performance of Torah and mitzvos – which stems from the inner powers of the soul, i.e., intellect and emotion; and mesirus nefesh beyond logic and reason – ultimate mesirus nefesh – which stems from the “encompassing” aspect of the soul: Yechidah. As we know, Avraham, when he was only three, came to the realization of Hashem’s existence. For the world could only exist if created by Hashem.

On a deeper level, Hashem revealed Himself to Avraham by showing him the spark of His light in the creation. Chassidus explains that this spark of His light in the creation is our Yechidah.

Why is it that undergoing a test requires mesirus nefesh? Because when it comes to a test, the G-dly spark is especially hidden. There is a big difference between spiritual refinement and mesirus nefesh. When it comes to spiritual refinement, one is dealing with a physical entity – for instance, when you make a blessing and eat kosher food, you are releasing holy sparks from the food and refining it (especially since you are going to use the energy you get from it to do more mitzvos!). When it comes to mesirus nefesh, on the other hand, one is dealing directly with himself.

All mitzvos have to do with the refinement of physical entities. This includes the negative mitzvos as well (for the forbidden physical entities need to exist in order to keep these mitzvos!).

But when it comes to a test, there is nothing real actually there. When you are being tested, you are dealing only with your own self, to summon up the power of your inner essence – this is your power of perseverance – to stand up to the test, and not be fazed by it at all, to the point that you don’t get involved with the claims and reasonings of the other side; you just stand firm with perseverance, for there is no other way. In this way, you liquidate the test completely! And through your perseverance, the test is truly liquidated, because the truth of the matter is revealed that this matter has no reality – its apparent existence is only in order so that the essence of your soul will be revealed.

When you’re faced with a great problem in life that seems to have come out of nowhere, and there’s no way around it, it is a test, from Hashem. Through the power of mesirus nefesh, you can pass this test
– and reveal that this great problem you are confronted with actually has no reality to it. It is just an illusion. And once you reveal that, it is gone – and you have now merited an incredible spiritual victory. You have revealed the essence of your soul – the hidden spark in creation.

On the way to Mount Moriyah, a river appeared, preventing Avraham and Yitzchak from being able to continue. Avraham was not taken aback by this trick of the Yetzer Harah, and demanded that the Yetzer Harah stop this trick. Then the river vanished. It was but an illusion, the existence of which was only to test Avraham.

This was the case with the Previous Rebbe, when he was put in prison. He was not at all shaken by the situation that threatened not only him, but the spiritual welfare of all Russian Jewry – and on the contrary, he stood firmly in perseverance against the Russian authorities. And in the end, the concealment of holiness and the darkness that was the core and essence of the Rebbe’s imprisonment was liquidated. It was right after this, that the Rebbe was able to greatly increase in the spreading of Torah and Judaism.

So too in the case of the imprisonment of the Alter Rebbe, which happened because of the ketrug (spiritual decree) that was declared against him, because he was disseminating the teachings of Chassidus to ordinary people. But through the Alter Rebbe’s mesirus nefesh and perseverance, the ketrug was broken.

Passing a test is the greatest spiritual work of all. “You have given the ones who fear You trials with which to be tested, for the sake of truth, forever.”

It is the ones who fear Hashem to who He tests, for it is only the ones who fear Hashem who have what it takes to pass a test. If you are tested, you must be doing something spiritual out of the ordinary; you have a special holy work you are doing, and you must increase! You are a shadchan in your spare time. Suddenly a crises comes upon you. You may be inclined to stop focusing on making shidduchim, and to deal with this issue at hand.

But no! Continue more than ever now, making shidduchim! This is your special mitzvah, and in the merit of your special mitzvah, you will prevail.

You have a special mitzvah you do, cooking food for needy famlies. When the crises strikes, start cooking for more needy families!
The holiness you bring into the world through your special mitzah will melt the crises away.
To sum it all up, when you are faced with a test, you must do the following:

* Recognize that there is nothing real actually there. It is all an illusion.
* Stand your ground, do not be fazed at all.
* Just state the truth as it is, without getting into the claims and reasonings of the other side; simply keep repeating the truth, and that’s it. There is no other way.
* Focus on the holy work you were doing that rendered you one who fears Hashem; resolve to increase in your holy work.

If you do these four things, you will triumph over anything and everything. So go for it, and seize the day! There are only two parties who are actually involved here: You and Hashem. The rest is all an illusion.