אות - שח

These are among the many thoughts which the Rebbe shared with us regarding the above. All this talk about the good old days is the work of the Evil One. He wants people to speak like this to make them suffer and worry all the more about their livelihoods. He would like to make them feel that there is no hope at all now, Heaven forbid.

This is all false. God continuously sustains the world and people rise and fall financially in every generation. If you look carefully at any period, you will find people who were poor, with menial jobs, who became wealthy. Yet they too claim that times are not as good as before – because they always want more. Now that they have tasted wealth, they are no longer satisfied and want more all the time. They now live ostentatiously and cannot meet their expenses, so they complain that times are not as good as before. But we ourselves recall that not too many years ago, most of these complainers were poor or working as domestics or the like.

Whether or not this is the fact, what use is it always to cry that the past was better? The wise King Solomon refuted this idea long ago when he said, “Do not say that the former times were better than these, for it is not out of wisdom that you ask this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10) .

Rashi may interpret this verse to teach us that everything depends on the merit of each generation. Still, “The Torah has many faces” ( Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15) , and, “The scripture does not depart from its simple meaning” ( Shabbat 63a; Yebamot 24a) . King Solomon was the wisest of all men and spoke with Divine inspiration. He said that it is great foolishness to say, “The former times were better than these.” In every generation, there have been people who say this. But if you look closely into the matter, you will see that the world is constantly becoming more prosperous. People constantly live better and spend more than in the past.

What difference does it really make? If the world were really to be poorer now than before, that is all the more reason to flee to God and involve yourself in Torah and devotion. If there is suffering and trouble in the world, the only place to escape is to God and His Torah. It is written, “For man is born to struggle” (Job 5:7) . The Midrash remarks, “'Man is born to struggle': Happy is he who struggles with the Torah” (cf. Sanhedrin 99b) .

Whether you are rich or poor, your life will be filled with toil and frustration. Man’s lot is suffering and pain, as it is written, “For all his days are vexatious and painful” (Ecclesiastes 2:23) .

In the holy Shelah , 376 Shelah 2:138a. See above, note 288. we find a verse: Ein rega belo pega Ein sha’ah belo ra’ah Ein yom belo reses ve'ayom There is no moment Without its torment There is no hour That is not sour There is no day Without dismay. Happy is the man who flees from the struggles of this troublesome world for the toil of Torah. He will be “happy and prosperous” – happy in this world and prosperous in the World to Come ( Avot 6:4; Berakhot 8a) .

The person who says that “the first days are better than these” and worries, and is constantly anxious about his finances, accomplishes nothing. His attitude causes him to struggle more and more to earn a living and waste his days in worry and vexation. This foolishness keeps him from Torah and prayer, and regarding his end, it is written, “He takes away nothing for his effort” (Ecclesiastes 5:14) . It is also written, “For in vanity he comes, and in darkness he leaves” (ibid., 6:4) .

If you have eyes to see and a heart to understand, you will perceive that the past had as much suffering and troubles as the present. Look in books written hundreds of years ago and you will find that their authors also suffered from poverty and endured the most difficult struggles just to earn a livelihood. This did not deter them and they still wrote many holy books. It is written, “What was, that is what will be … there is nothing new under the sun” (ibid., 1:9) .

Life was difficult even in the “good old days.” How many years ago did King Solomon write of man, “For all his days are vexation and pain”? How many years ago did the Book of Job say, “Man is born to struggle – of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1) ? The scriptures wrote about this long ago.

Even then, many people thought that times were troublesome (Daniel 9:25) and that one must only worry about his livelihood. These people lost their days and departed from this world without joy or pleasure (II Chronicles 21:20) .

But each generation also had God-fearing men and tzaddikim. They paid no attention to these concerns and escaped the struggles of the world to toil in Torah and devotion. They achieved for themselves and for their children. Fortunate are they.

Even today, you have free will. You have the power to escape from these painful discussions and from worries. You can flee from them and trust in God, abandoning the struggles of this bitter world and involving yourself in the work of Torah. God will certainly sustain you. Does He not sustain the entire world, now as always? And now God directs the world better than ever before.

This world was always filled with worries and suffering. Things have not changed. It is written, “In pain you shall eat” (Genesis 3:17) , and, “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” (ibid., 3:19) . This was decreed since Adam’s sin and there is no place to escape. These worries and pains destroy a man’s life; the only shelter is God and His Torah.

The Mishnah teaches, “Thus is the way of Torah: Bread with salt you shall eat, measured water shall you drink, on the ground you shall sleep, and a life of privation you shall live, while in the Torah you shall toil. If you do so, 'you shall be happy, and it shall be good for you' (Psalms 128:2) . 'You shall be happy'. in this world – 'and it shall be good for you' in the World to Come” ( Avot 6:4) .

People find this difficult to understand. After telling us the struggles we must endure – “bread with salt you shall eat” – how can the Mishnah state, “'You shall be happy' – in this world"? Many writers attempt to resolve this by way of homily, but their explanations remain strained. In fact, there really is no question. If you have eyes to see and a heart that truly understands the world, you know this. If you have absorbed the wisdom contained in the Rebbe’s awesome teachings, you know the truth. The Mishnah means exactly what it says.

The wealthiest men in the world will tell you that the world is filled with worry and suffering. The rich suffer as much as everyone else. Thus, our Sages teach, “The more possessions, the more worry” (ibid., 2:7) . The poor may not realize this. They may think that they would no longer have problems if they were wealthy. But they are sadly mistaken, as we can see with our own eyes. The truth is as our Sages have taught it. Whether you are rich or poor, you cannot avoid worries. The world is filled with pain and suffering and there is no avenue of escape.

If you are a man, you worry about earning a livelihood. You are concerned about your wife and children. If you are a woman, you imagine that you are troubled by your husband. Then, there is the real suffering and pain of those who suffer because of serious sickness and And misfortune. Heaven help us. There is no escape – except in the Torah.

If you desire the good of this world and want to live at ease without troubles, you will be constantly frustrated. The more you seek good, the more you will find the opposite. Everything you manage to grasp will be diluted with suffering. Look with truth and you will see this yourself.

It is written, “There is no wisdom, understanding or counsel against God” (Proverbs 21:30) . The only way to be at ease is to be willing to subsist on an absolute minimum. Firmly resolve to follow the dictum of the Mishnah, “Bread with salt you shall eat … a life of privation shall you live.” Accept upon yourself a life of deprivation and hardship in order to involve yourself in the Torah – “in the Torah you shall toil.”

Only then will you have life, even in this world. “If you do so, 'you shall be happy' … in this world.” This is certainly true.

No longer will you suffer from worldly troubles. You have already accepted them upon yourself for the sake of the Torah. All your life – all your good – is the true good. Thus, your life is a true life. Happy are you – even in this world.

The man who wants to live at ease in this world and enjoy its delights will find only bitterness. “Even the slightest breeze will upset him” ( Sotah 5a) . The smallest happening contrary to his wishes will cause him to suffer greatly.

You may be immensely rich and powerful. You may be a lord or a king. It is still impossible for everything to be as you want, in a world filled with suffering.

The only way to escape this suffering is in the Torah. Accept the way of the Torah, eating bread with salt …. Then you will be happy and it will be good for you. Happy – even in this world. Look at the truth. Understand well the troubles of this world. You will certainly see the truth of this.

You will find many of these [ideas] in the Rebbe’s teachings, especially those printed together with the Sipurey Ma'asiot . 377 All the Sichot up to #116 were originally printed with the Sipurey Ma'asiot . See note 298. They are also brought out most forcefully in the tale of “The Sophisticate and the Simpleton” ( Rabbi Nachman’s Stories #9) .

Even pagan philosophers realized that the world is filled with suffering and discussed it often in their works. They came to the conclusion that the only solution is stoic forbearance. That person must accept upon himself to endure all that happens to him ( Alim LeTerufah #441) .

But all their words are of no avail in a world without the Torah which we Jews have been fortunate to receive. No man can endure this world and not be overcome by its suffering. Only the Torah can provide this strength.

Imagine a world filled with good and riches. Imagine a world in which there was no pain or suffering or worries. It would still be empty and devoid of all purpose. For time passes like the blink of an eye, and life is over. It is written, “Our days are like a passing shadow” (Psalms 144:4) . Our Sages comment that life is not even permanent, like the shadow of a palm tree (cf. Bereshit Rabbah 96:3; Kohelet Rabbah 1:3) . It is also written, “The days of our years are seventy years … their pride is travail and vanity, for it is speedily gone and flies away” (Psalms 90:10) .

If even a perfect world would itself be purposeless, what shall we say about the world in which we live? It is filled with pain, sorrow and suffering without end. Every man’s life is filled with worries about finances and concerns, troubles and problems, from the greatest to the smallest, from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor. Every man is trapped by his limitations. The greatest emperors and kings are filled with worries and fears without measure, as is understood by those who know about their lives.

Even the gentile wise men realized this.

The only way out is to choose the Torah and its commandments. Make up your mind to be satisfied with an absolute minimum in order to immerse yourself in the Torah.

Spend your days with Torah and devotion and you will be immune to the world’s travail. You will shake off the toil and struggle of worldly concerns and no longer taste the bitterness and enxiety they have to offer. Devoted to God and His Torah, you will truly be alive, for this is the root of life, both in this world and the next.

You will then know that the words of the Mishnah are correct, even in their plain meaning. You will have chosen to live such a life, eating bread with salt, drinking water by measure, sleeping on the ground and living a life of privation. You must be willing to accept such a life, for there are times when even bread with salt and water by measure will not be abundant. But accept all this in order to immerse yourself in the Torah – “in the Torah you shall toil.” If you do this, you will certainly be “happy and it shall be good for you … happy in this world.” You will have accepted any suffering from this world and will be worthy of true life.

You will then be worthy of perceiving the truth and you will know that the world was not created for ease and enjoyment. You will realize that the man who seeks the delights of this world will find only pain and vexation. The Torah is our life and the length of our days. 378 Prayer before Evening Shma , from Deuteronomy 30:20. If you flee the struggles of the world to toil in the Torah, you will be worthy of the World to Come, whose eternity reduces all of this world to the blink of an eye in comparison. But besides this, you will also have a good life in this world.

The best way to handle this world is forbearance. This cannot be attained except through immersion in the Torah and its commandments. Open your eyes to the truth and you will see this.

Ridicule these words and you only ridicule yourself. We speak the truth and it is yours to accept. But if you wish to turn your back on it and remain immersed in the deep quicksand (Psalms 69:3) of this world, there is no one to prevent you. “Let each man go his own way, but we will call out in God’s name.”

These were the Rebbe’s words to a man who spoke to him at length. The Rebbe knew that this man was drowning in the endless waters ( Yebamot 121a) and wanted to rescue him.

But the man hardened his heart and turned a stubborn shoulder (Zechariah 7:11; Nehemiah 9:29) , not accepting the Rebbe’s advice. He knew the Rebbe spoke the truth, but refused to take his words to heart.

The Rebbe said, “He is like a drowning man who is about to die. A rescuer comes along and extends a hand to lift him from the water. But the drowning man turns a stubborn shoulder and turns his back in arrogance, not wanting to grasp the helping hand. He flees from the one who comes to save him.”

Heed these words! You will find pleasure both in this world and the next. Finished and completed is the book of Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom with the help of the Blessed God