Thursday, October 29, 2009

Does He Want Me To Sin?

Don’t hurt me, I hate pain, and I always did.

From a philosophical level the problem with pain is that it distracts. It doesn’t allow the person to live his life and focus on what ever he wishes to do.

Once he is in pain, however, sometimes pain could have the opposite affect. Often pain makes one more aware of oneself, more sensitive to life and to other people. Pain has the potential to lead a person to a more elevated state of being.

The Midrash teaches that some times Hashem creates a trap to lead a person to sin.

Sometimes it feels like Hashem is pushing you toward sin, lining up all the circumstances to make it difficult for you to escape a bad choice.

Sometimes it feels like he pushes an entire generation away from Judaism.

That does not mean he likes the sin. He does not like pain. But sometimes he can’t help but want to give us the opportunity to be the more sensitive person we become after experiencing the separation from him.

He hates sin; yet he desires the state that a person is in once he sinned. Lost, confused, but searching. On the way to an even greater relationship.

(Leku"s vol 5 Lech Licha sicha 1)

2 comments:

Simons Kingston said...

Is that Volume 15 or 5?
About the one from vol. 5, Laibl Shapiro said when he taught that he never fully understood the Sicha. The point that even a Yid's Bchirah has to be according to Hashems Will. But then comes the differentiation of External Will with that of Essiantial Will. Essintial Will doesn't force us to act since we don't really percieve it but it still is His Will.
Any thoughts?

Menachem said...

Thanks, Yisrael, it's vol 5.
There is much to say about what you write, the issue desrves a lot more attention. Hopefuly in the near future.