According to the Baal Shem Tov, Hashem leads the world like a compassionate mother who is trying to teach her small, tender child how to walk. She first stands him up on his feet, makes sure he’s steady, then distances herself from him a little so he can get used to walking on his own. And as he gets closer to her with small, stuttered steps, she once again pulls away, ever so slightly, encouraging him to walk a bit further.
So, too, the light of Hashem in our lives may be revealed to us a little bit one minute, then be hidden from us the next. Hashem is teaching us how to walk. He is getting us used to strengthening ourselves and coming closer to k’dushah (holiness) on our own – even when the path ahead seems dark, obscured, and full of obstacles. (Sheim MiShmuel – V’Zos HaBrachah)
From this mashal, we can learn that sometimes we can experience a great his’or’rus and be overcome with the desire and motivation to do and be better, to change and grow. But then, this inspiration goes away – often as suddenly as it came. It’s not always that we did something wrong or that we’ve somehow fallen. Many times, we’ve only reached a new high level in our spiritual and emotional growth, and now Hashem is just pulling away a bit so that we can take what we’ve learned and experienced and use it to go even further.
During this process we should be comforted to know that Hashem is always near us. Just as when a small child who is learning how to walk falls down, his mother will rush over, pick him up, give him a hug and a kiss and some encouragement, then stand him up on his two feet once again – the same is true with us. When we do make mistakes and we’ve fallen, when we are at our lowest points in life, Hashem is actually very near, waiting to pick us up and help us to move forward. Times like these can be a tremendous eis ratzon (favorable time) for t’shuvah! But if instead of turning to Hashem, we often fly into a storm of depression, denial, fear, apathy, or anger… we push Hashem away and, with it, compromise our ability to stand on our own two feet and make meaningful change in our lives. If we’d only recognize and admit our mistakes and yearn to improve, if we’d only ask Hashem for assistance at such moments, that’s when miracles happen.
(Material was previously published on www.ShiratMiriam.com.)
List of People Who Need
a R’fuah Sh’leimah
(a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Boris Baruch ben Frecha Frida
Alter Shmuel ben Chavah Leah
Chaim Avraham ben Shifrah Zisel
Chaim ben Malkah
Yehudah Yudel ben Miriam Gittel
Yosef Ezriel ben Chayah Michal
Aharon ben Feiga
Menachem Mendel ben Gita Perel
Eliezer ben Ra’oma
Shlomo ben Mazal
Chaim ben Pesha Miriam
Chaim Gershom Yeshaya ben Leah
Yonah Gedaliah ben Pesha
David Yosef Elimelech ben Elisheva Hinda
Nasan ben Naamah
Tzvi ben Miriam Rachel
Yosef Ala ben Samara
Rafael ben Yocheved
Tovah Yocheved bas Esther Bukas
Chayah Shoshanah Tovah bas Esther
Ruchamah Perel Malkah Leah bas Chanah Serel
Gittel bas Sarah
Esther Hadassah bas Devorah
Chayah Malkah bas Charlotte
Rachel bas Miriam
Batya bas Esther
Rachel Leah bas Chayah Zlata
Chavah Leah bas Shoshanah
Rachel bas Hinda Reizel
Olga Chayah bas Geila
Limor bas Chanah
Chanah Esther bas Ayalah Hadar
Chavah bas Shoshanah Sofie
Rachel Naomi bas Esther Chanah
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s T’hilim column, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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