Weekly Torah Portion

You’ve got to love the holiday season! Something special is in the air and we can all feel it. Unfortunately, like many things in life, there are two sides of the coin. As one counseling professional told me recently, the next few weeks are the busiest time for his business because there are so many familial disputes. I know this first-hand from working in the mental health field. The practice was always the busiest around the holidays. While I do not have a solution for this phenomenon I would like to share a perspective based on this week’s Torah portion.

The portion opens with the phrase, “And Yaakov settled.” Rashi explains that Yaakov had undergone his fair share of pain. His own brother wanted to kill him and he was on the run. He now was asking G-d to make his life settled, so to speak, and be peaceful from here onward. G-d answers him by asking him if it is not enough to have peace in the afterlife. G-d seems to be underscoring the important Jewish principle that everything we see in life, every situation we think we fully understand, only truly becomes fully clear in the world to come (Heaven). Then and only then will true tranquility be achieved.

There is a glaring problem with this comment of Rashi. Obviously Yaakov was not looking to use his time on earth to sit on the beach. To the contrary, there was no doubt he would use every moment to perfect his character and to do every mitzvah available to him. Why, then, the strongly worded response from G-d?

The answer seems to be that while it is true that Yaakov used his time wisely, that cannot be compared to going through a struggle and overcoming it. Going through something that tests your faith helps strengthen muscles you never otherwise could have strengthened, no matter how well meaning a person is. The rest of this week’s portion discusses Yaakov’s pain in believing his son had perished. This trial was necessary for Yaakov to achieve his fullest potential in life.

This is a tremendous life lesson for us. Why does it have to be difficult? Why can’t my family just get along? When we view these challenges as opportunities from G-d to rise to the occasion and work through something difficult, it changes the entire way we view difficulties.

As a song by the contemporary Jewish singer Meilech Kohn teaches, “Maybe whatever you are going through now is the reason that you are here.” Here is wishing everyone an amazing Chanukah filled with the light from our menorahs, but also filled with the light that will emanate from each of us when we overcome whatever challenge or difficulty is thrown our way.