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NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Think, Feel, Grow
The Purpose of Our Challenges By Shmuel Reichman
I
f I were to ask you, “What is the wealthiest place in the universe?” what would you answer? You might suggest the banks, the diamond mines, or something along these lines. But in a sense, the wealthiest place in the world is the graveyard. Why? There, you’ll find dreams never chased after, ideas and inspiration never acted upon, music never composed, works of art never created, books never written, companies and organizations never built – endless potential, never actualized. And on our deathbed, these dreams, these ideas, they’ll come to us and say: “We came to you, and only you could have given us life, but you didn’t, and now, we die with you. If we died today, what unrealized potential would die with us? What dreams, contributions, and creativity would remain unexpressed? What would we be taking with us to the grave? Many times, most people we know say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” But there’s no guarantee we will be here tomorrow. This is why the Mishna in Avos (2:15) tells us to do teshuva (repent) the day before we die. The Gemara (Shabbos 153a) explains this to mean that a person should always be in a process of teshuva, because one never knows which day will be his last. So, if we died today, what dreams, ideas, and potential would die with us?
Our Role Models There are, however, a few rare individuals out there who do act on their dreams and inspiration, who truly live lives of greatness. They maximize their time and actualize as much of their potential as possible. These rare individuals shine a light into this world and serve as an inspi-
stead of receiving all of our atonement in the World to Come, which would be far more severe, Hashem sends us yesurim (hardship) in this world (Mishna Berurah 222:4).
3: Wake-Up Call
ration to all those who are fortunate enough to know them. Their existence alone inspires those around them to become more, to want more, to demand more from themselves, to raise their standards. Fascinatingly, many of these unique people have undergone tremendous challenge. They’ve been thrown down, torn apart, and pushed to the brink. And yet, they rose up, stronger than ever before, driven to greatness, serving as an inspiration to others. This begs the obvious question: did they become great despite their challenges or because of them? What is the secret to their success? Chazal tell us that Avraham faced ten tests along his spiritual journey, including Akeidas Yitzchak (the Binding of Isaac). Avraham is faced with hardship after hardship, and yet, despite all these challenges, he still achieves absolute greatness. There are several potential purposes for a challenge or test. A test is usually administered to evaluate a person’s knowledge or mastery of a given area. However, this cannot be the case in a test given by Hashem, as
Hashem is All-Knowing and therefore fully aware of exactly how much we are capable of. What, then, is the purpose of a test? Why does Hashem constantly send us challenges and tests?
The Multifaceted Purposes of a Challenge 1: Contrast and Appreciation On the most basic level, we often only appreciate things once we have lost them. One generally does not appreciate the importance of their hand in their daily routine until they break it, or how much they love someone until they’ve lost them. The Maharal and Ramchal explain that human beings learn through comparison and contrast. We understand the concept of wisdom by witnessing foolishness, goodness from witnessing evil, and wealth by witnessing poverty. The same goes for our health and quality of life. Only by experiencing the worst of times can we truly appreciate the best of times.
2: Kaparah
On a slightly deeper level, Hashem may send us challenges in order to be mechaper (atone) for our past wrongdoings (Brachos 5a, Erchin 16b). In-
The Ramchal (Derech Hashem 2:3:5) explains that Hashem sometimes sends us a challenge in order to “wake us up” to help us get back on the proper track. There may be times when we find ourselves on the wrong path, drowning in the physicality of life. In such circumstances, Hashem may choose to jolt us awake, motivating us to question our choices and direction in life. These challenges should push us to realign our values, to regain our desire to live with higher ideals. The Gemara (Brachos 5a) says that if something negative happens to us, our first reaction should be to examine our deeds and try to determine what character trait we can work on. Sometimes, a challenge is the perfect way to jolt us out of our stupor, leading us to reassess our lives, reconnect with Hashem, and commit to living a more spiritual, purposeful life.
The Deeper Purpose of a Challenge There is a fundamentally deeper understanding of a challenge, one that reveals the very core spiritual purpose and effect of a test. The Mishna in Avos (5:3) tells us that Avraham was subjected to ten tests and overcame them all, expressing his eternal dedication to Hashem. The Ramban (Bereishis 22:1) questions the necessity for Avraham to undergo all these hardships. If Hashem already knew whether Avraham could pass these tests, why even conduct them? The Ramban explains that the
