Everyday Struggles

27 Adar II 5782

“The kohen shall look at it. And, behold! the hair has turned white in the bahereth” (Vayikra 13:25)

“There was once a kohen who could not earn a living, and decided to leave the Land of Israel to seek a livelihood. He said to his wife: Since people come to me to show me their plagues, let me teach you how to diagnose tzaraat. If you see that the hair in the afflicted area has died because its canal has dried up, then know that the person is afflicted. Because for each and every hair G‑d created its own canal from which to drink; if this canal dries out, the hair dries out.

Said his wife to him: If G‑d created a separate canal for each hair to nourish it, how much more so you, who are a human being, and whose children depend on you for nourishment—certainly G‑d will provide for you! And she did not allow him to depart from the Holy Land.” (Midrash Tanchuma)

“These souls are privileged to rise higher than the angels, although they served G‑d only with natural fear and love. Because through their fear and love, the sitra achara clothed in their body is subdued, whether in the realm of ’turning away from evil’ conquering and crushing their desires or whether in the realm of ‘doing good,’ as mentioned above. These souls had freedom of choice; they might have chosen evil, G‑d forbid, yet they chose good—to subdue the sitra achara so that G‑d’s glory be elevated.” (Lessons in Tanya, Likutei Amarim, beginning of Chapter 39)

It is precisely because man faces every day struggles that he is allowed to rise even higher than the angels themselves in the afterlife. Because he dealt with seeking a livelihood, family problems, wicked people and evil temptation, all while remaining true to the ideals of the Torah–without giving in to evil or cooling off in his active observance of the mitzvos–he is even higher than the angels themselves. The angels never do sins and praise G‑d all day long. However, they do this by nature, not by choice, and as such, the person who subdues the sitra achara so that G‑d’s glory be elevated is given a higher station in the World to Come.

“If the Lord does not build a house, then its builders labor upon it in vain. If the Lord will not guard a city, the vigilance of its watchman is in vain.” (Tehillim 127:1)

Although our every day struggles in keeping Hashem’s mitzvos afford us a very high spiritual standing in the World to Come, they must still be conducted with the knowledge and humility that without G‑d’s help all our labors would be in vain. Without G‑d’s constant oversight and protection, we would not be able to withstand the challenges of this world for even one moment. Our behavior merely serves as a keli, a vessel, for Hashem’s infinite blessing and help.