Hope and Encouragement for Tough Times

Optimism and Faith

Compiled By Adam Dickter

Despite a history of tragedy, Judaism is a faith rich with optimism. Like life itself, the Jewish calendar cycles from solemnity to joy, from the soul-searching and fasting of Yom Kippur and the Ninth of Av to the festivity of Chanukah and Simchat Torah. We learn of Joseph emerging from the pit where he was thrown by his brothers to be a prince of Egypt. From the wreckage of his life, Job clung to his faith in God and redemption. Daniel emerged from the Lion’s den unscathed.

Our tradition is rich with thinkers who inspired us to see the rainbow beyond the clouds. In the ruins of Jerusalem in 70 CE, Rabbi Akiva ben Joseph comforted his students with his faith in the prophecy that the city would rise once again. In the 12^th Century, Maimonides noted in his “Guide To The Perplexed” that “the world is ordered and beautiful, even if it seems ordered against us.”

As we face modern turmoil, an economic crisis spreading pain across the globe even as events in Iran and North Korea spread fear, rabbis and Jewish leaders offer their own words of hope, inspiration and encouragement, which are rooted in their faith.

'Under All Circumstances There Is Hope'

We have been hit hard by the economic tsunami and our natural response is to “I want relief now. I want to be able to keep my home and pay my children’s tuition.” Why the recession occurred and at whom to be angry is of little importance. When I have a bad toothache, my response is, ‘I want relief, and soon.’ This is no different.

But the fact is the recovery will take time and we have to go into a survival mode. With jobs being scarce, we may have to temporarily find ways to earn a few bucks. What is important is to know that there will be recovery and avoid falling into despair because a negative attitude may preclude our seeing opportunities when they occur. Rabbi Shmulevitz says, “A person must be cautious when he suffers a fall that he should not allow the fall to harm him even more than the actual adverse circumstances. If he will strengthen himself even in his decline and maintain his personal value under all circumstances there is hope that he will rise and return to his former status and even higher than that (Sichos Musar 5731:13.)

The temporary loss of our earning ability should not depress our self-esteem. Sometimes the loss of a job results in our looking and finding ideas that we would not have thought of when we had a regular paycheck. With positive thinking we can discover new ideas.

Rabbi Abraham Twerski, founder and medical director of Gateway Rehabilitation Center, Author of Healing From Despair: Choosing Wholeness In A Broken World

'Shaping a Meaningful Life'

In tough times, it is helpful to remember the core values that lead to a life well-lived. Although eschatology is not emphasized in Judaism, there is a recurring metaphor in rabbinic literature of a heavenly tribunal, an accounting of one’s actions on earth. For two thousand years, rabbis have imagined what questions might be asked at such a trial. These questions lead to a life review, and because we get to know the questions now, we can work on our own "answers" as we strive for a life of purpose. Astonishingly, one sage, Rava, imagines the very first question you are asked in heaven is "Nasata v'nata b'emuna?" - “Were you honest in your business dealings?” Why on earth…or rather, why in heaven’s name… would the first question you're asked in heaven be about business? Because it’s not just about business. The question is about honesty, integrity, faithfulness. If you are not honest in your business dealings, can you be trusted to be honest in other relationships? If you are not honest with others, can you be honest with yourself? If you are not faithful with others, can your faith in God be trusted? The temptations of dishonesty are legion, especially in a difficult economic climate, but Rava is reminding us that honesty and trust are foundational values. In my book, The Seven Questions You're20Asked in Heaven: Reviewing and Renewing Your Life on Earth, I explore six more questions, just as provocative as this first, all of which lead us to examine how we are shaping a meaningful life.

Dr. Ron Wolfson
Fingerhut Professor of Education, American Jewish University
President, Synagogue 3000
Author, "The Seven Questions You're Asked in Heaven: Reviewing and Renewing Your Life on Earth (Jewish Lights Publishing)

‘Wrestling With God’

In the Talmud we read that when the Temple was destroyed, all the Gates of Heaven were closed except for one: the Gate of Tears. It is impossible to overestimate the impact of that catastrophe on the Jews of that time - and consequently on the Judaism they handed down to us.

The rabbis understood that profound grief could not be minimized or denied. Rather, it had to be channeled into constructive, life-affirming activity. So they validated the mourning process by ritualizing it and then created a way of life that enabled them to turn tears into triumph.

We need to do the same now. Rather than reaching for the Prozac, we need to confront our pain the old fashioned way: by wrestling with God. The Talmud speaks of one consequence of the Temple's destruction being that a wall of iron was interposed between Israel and God. We can breach thatwall by filling with meaning the space that exists between Torah and Terror, and for our tears to stretch heavenward.

Perhaps they might meet God's tears somewhere in between.

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El of Stamford Connecticut Columnist, The Jewish Week

‘You Shall Not Be Burned’

In 1978, in the midst of a particularly dark and frightening time in my life, I decided to see if there was a God and if so, if God could help me. I was then a mother with three young children and a very sick husband. I found myself in synagogue, voicing this question in my heart. God “heard” my prayers, and I felt a sense of love and strength that redirected my life.

Ten years later, I was a rabbi, striving to offer to others the connection with God that had transformed my life. I had found inspiration in the “The Song of the Sea” (from Torah, Exodus Ch. 15), and in the words of the prophet Isaiah (Ch. 43), as well as in my personal experience of a God who felt like an intimate friend and beloved. I wrote this song (music not included):

Mi Chamocha, Who is Like You?

When you walk through the waters, I will be with you,

And through the rivers you shall be safe,

For I am your Companion, the Eternal, your Guide,

Your Friend, and your Protector.

Chorus

Mi chamocha ba eilim, Adonai?

Mi kamocha ne’edar bakodesh?

Norah tehillot, oseh felleh!

Who is like You, Eternal One

In all the earth and the skies?

Who is like You, Beloved Friend,

Awesome in power and in love?

When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,

In the midst of the flames you shall pass free,

For I am your Companion, the Eternal, your Guide,

Your Friend, and your Protector.

Times have changed, and there are new dangers. But the words of our Torah and prophets are testimony to the God who saved us in ages past, and who, if asked, will be our support and hope in days to come.

Rabbi Shohama Wiener, Temple Beth –El of City Island, NY

Founder of SHOHAM: Spiritual healing of Heart and Mind

‘We Are Not Alone’

Fear is part of the existential nature of man. Being alone leads to fear, as my mentor Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik wrote, but there are different depths of fear. The Jewish response to fear is prayer; this is essentially what psalms, tehillim, are about. David had fears –physical ones, spiritual ones, feeling alone and abandoned by God – and so his words teach us how to turn to God and pray for dvaykut, union with Him.

Fear will remain, but, when we know that we are not alone and that God is with us, we can face them. This, I believe, is the message of the book of Iyov, Job. Tragedies befall Job, a righteous man, and his friends attempt to console him by saying he must have sinned and that’s why this all happened. Finally, God appears in a whirlwind and gives Job a non-answer: Man can never understand the workings of God—and Job finds consolation. Why? I believe it’s not from the non-answer, but from the fact that he heard God talking to him and felt God’s presence. That brought him consolation. Whatever fear we face—economic insecurity, nuclear threats, loneliness, anything-- we can deal with those fears if we know we are not suffering through them alone.

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

‘Words of The Prophets’

The Talmud relates that after the destruction of our Holy Temple, Rabbi Akiva and the sages of Israel were walking on the streets of Jerusalem. As they came to the Temple Mount, they beheld a devastating sight. There, where the Sanctuary had once stood in majesty and splendor, where the Holy of Holies had been, were only ruins, and wild foxes were roaming about.

The sages broke down and wept. But Rabbi Akiva did not weep. Instead, he smiled. "How can you smile at such a time?" his colleagues asked, shocked.

"I smile," Rabbi Akiva answered, "because today I have seen the fulfillment of prophecy, for the same prophet who foretold the destruction also foretold that the Temple shall be rebuilt. The same prophet who prophesied our exile, also prophesied that we shall return to Jerusalem in joy. And so I smile, for now that the first part of our prophesy has come to pass, the second part will surely come to be."

"Akiva," the sages declared, "you have comforted us."

The story of Rabbi Akiva should sustain our generation. We too can smile and say that that which we are witnessing today is proof positive that we are the generation of "ikvei d'Moshiach", those who bring the Messiah, for that which is unfolding before our eyes has all been predicted -- even Ahmadinejad's nuclear proliferation.

We need only search our holy Books. It's all there!

Rebbetzen Esther Jungreis, founder

Hineni Jewish Heritage Center, NY

‘Finders, Keepers’ Applies To Hope

As a rabbi, I try to find spiritual strength during these difficult times in various places. I think of the words of Ernest Hemingway who wrote, “The world breaks everyone, but some people are strong in the broken places.”

Firstly, I turn to the texts of our tradition, usually The Book of Psalms which historically has brought support to those facing challenging circumstances. My father of blessed memory, a Holocaust survivor would recite Psalm 27. The verses speak of the hope that is rooted in faith even when life appears to be hopeless. “He will shelter me in his pavilion on an evil day, grant me the protection of His tent, raise me high … Look to the Lord, be strong and of good courage! O look to the Lord.”

An interesting Jewish law teaches us the importance of the spirit of hope. If I lose an object and I do not give up hope of it being found, then it still belongs to me. However if I lose something and relinquish all hope, then the rule “Finders keepers” applies and it now belongs to the new owner.

I also find inspiration in stories. There is a beautiful one about a religious person traveling on a train to be with his family. As he leaned out through an open window, one of his gloves fell out. Immediately he reached into his pocket, took out the other glove and threw it out the window. Some people watching him asked him why he tossed the glove away. He said, “After losing the first glove, I realized that the second one was not necessary for me, but perhaps someone outside the train would find both and use them.”

Our traditions talk much about the beauty of the lights that remind us to reach out with a little love so that another person may have more warmth.

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Congregation Mount Sinai, Brooklyn, NY

Executive Vice President, New York Board of Rabbis

Host of “Religion On The Line”

‘A Sense Of Purpose’

Inspiration for me comes from attaching ourselves to righteous and selfless individuals. I think of the life of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and how materialism just didn’t register with him. He never took a vacation. He lived in his office. And he expected his students to devote their lives to others. I think of my mother who raised five children as a single Mom, working two jobs to do so. I meet rabbis in far off places who build synagogues and schools to benefit the local residences. They have no money but somehow they make ends meet. When I come across American and Israeli soldiers I’m inspired. They risk their lives, get paid peanuts, but enjoy deep meaning and a sense of purpose.
Most of all I look at my wife and children. I see they are healthy and happy. So that even though we as a family are going through some tough economic times with this recession, I know that God is with us and I know it’s all going to be OK, God willing.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Best-selling author, radio and TV host, founder of Jewish Values Network, NY