Nuisances

8 Kislev 5782

“It was told to Laban … that Jacob had fled … He pursued after him a seven days’ journey, and overtook him on the mountain of Gilead” (Bereishis 31:22-23)

The Tzemach Tzedek explains in Ohr HaTorah, “Jacob had left behind holy letters which he had not yet extracted from Laban. This is why Laban pursued him — to give him the letters which remained with him. An entire chapter was added to the Torah by these letters.” The Rebbe brings this down to our lives, “There are two types of ‘sparks of holiness’ that a person redeems in the course of his life. The first are those which he consciously pursues, having recognized the potential for sanctity and goodness in an object or event in his life. The second are those which pursue him: opportunities which he would never have realized on his own — indeed, he may even do everything in his power to avoid them — since they represent potentials so lofty that they cannot be identified by his humanly finite perception.”

“This is the ultimate purpose of the downward progression of all the various worlds — that the supernal light be revealed below, and not that the inferior level be elevated, for this [elevation] can only be momentary, until a further descent.” (Lessons in Tanya, Kuntres Acharon, middle of Essay 4)

The entire purpose of our Avodat Hashem is to draw down holiness into the world, not to elevate ourselves. Any efforts that aim to detach ourselves from the world will ultimately not be of a lasting nature, because there is always a “descent.” The knowledge of this can humble us so we appreciate that all occurrences in our lives are part of one great design. Even the things we think don’t have any purpose, or even detract us from our imagined “purpose,” are placed there by Hashem for an essential reason.

“In God we glory all day, and forever thank Your Name, Selah.” (Tehillim 44:9)

It is our job to constantly keep in mind the Greatness of Hashem, and focus our mind on fulfilling our role in His grand design. This role is specifically in the material. Things that might seem like nuisances to us are in fact indispensable waypoints on the path to fulfilling the mission for which our Neshamas were brought down to this world.