Father, Comfort Us!

Translated from Rabbi Arush’s feature article in the weekly Chut shel Chessed newsletter. The articles focus on his main message: “Loving others as yourself” and emuna. 

 

 

Poverty Only in the Mind 

“Rabbi, I have a sizeable bank account in Switzerland. I don’t know whether I will survive the war, so I am giving you a secret number that can enable you to access the account. If we meet after the war, or if you meet one of my descendants, give them the number; and if, chalila, no one will survive, I trust you will use the money for worthy causes…” 

 

The background of this conversation was the gathering clouds of war in Europe: it was clear that the Jews’ future in Europe would not be good. The rare gaon (scholar), Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth, did manage to leave that valley of death and did everything he could to locate the account’s owner. It never occurred to him at all to touch money that was not his.  

 

Years later, Rabbi Chaim met a Jew. After chatting for a while, the rabbi’s realized that this Jew was the son of the account owner. Rabbi Chaim was very excited about this and gave him the number, happy to give him access to all that money that was duly his. 

 

Naturally, that person, who had been sunk in poverty and desperately needed money, was surprised to discover that he was the owner of a tremendous fortune… 

 

When Rabbi Chaim would tell this story, he would conclude it by saying: “Was that Jew, during all those years, rich or poor? In truth, he was very rich even during those difficult years, but he lived as a poor man because he didn’t know about the riches he owned!” 

 

We have here a moral lesson for all of us: We feel poor and inferior and far away and small – only because we don’t know who we really are! If we would know how rich we are, being the children of the King of Kings; if we would only know how beloved we are and how important and wanted and holy we are! We have so many good aspirations and many good points and good traits. If we would know all that, we would live like the great tzaddikim and would also be much happier and more joyful.  

 

Double Comfort 

We have reached Parashat Va’etchanan, otherwise known as “Shabbat Nachamu”. On this Shabbat we will read the famous haftara: “Nachamu nachamu – Comfort, comfort My people – these are your G-d’s words.”¹ The beloved Jewish nation, the nation of Hashem’s children, sat and cried and was distressed and suffered for so many long years in exile. And now Hashem wishes to comfort His beloved people – doubly. And he asks: Nachamu, and again nachamu, and again nachamu, My people. And do not stop comforting until your words penetrate the heart, as the next pasuk says: “Speak to Jerusalem’s heart”.² 

 

In the past two years we have experienced great distress, and comfort as well, and Hashem wants to comfort and strengthen the Jewish people with a great nechama. And the main point is to show them how rich they are spiritually, how loved they are. 

 

Because the greatest distress is to feel far from our Father in Heaven, “Woe to the sons who have been exiled from their father’s table.”³ And the greatest comfort is to show them: You are always beloved sons. You were never distant from me. You are always connected and tied to the Holy One, Blessed Be He. Holy Jewish nation, know that Hashem yitbarach loves every Jew and does only good and more good and better to him or her. 

 

In the amazing holy book, Sippurei Ma’asiyot (in English: Rebbe Nachman’s Stories), Rabbi Nachman of Breslev calls out to the holy Jewish nation: “Stop being poor. Return to your treasures and use your treasures.”⁴ Knowing that Hashem yitbarach is a good Father is a huge treasure! Our hidden riches are the biggest asset. When we know about them and use them, we will no longer be poor. 

 

One Hundred Percent Love 

There is no sweeter call for a father than hearing his child call out to him “Abba!” and ask for help. A father is always a father. 

 

And how much more so is Hashem yitbarach, Father of Compassion, who yearns to hear His children call Him “Abba” and ask him for help. ‘Abba’ is the best of all the Names of Hashem. Because in every Name of Hashem yitbarach there are aspects of chessed (lovingkindness) and aspects of din (strict justice), but the name ‘Abba’ is all simple and complete compassion; it is all absolute love without any din mixed in.  

 

To give an analogy: Every king has ministers and servants and a large hierarchy and it is impossible to approach the king directly, without waiting for a long time and pulling strings etc. And even if one gets to speak to the king, it is not a foregone conclusion that the king will give you what you ask for. But the king’s son can come to his father anytime he wants to, and the king does his will immediately, out of his love for his son. 

 

And therefore, when a Jew calls out to the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and says to him: “Abba, You love me,” and then asks Him for whatever he needs at that moment – his prayer will certainly be heeded. And that is why Rabbi Eliezer led the congregation in prayer and said twenty-four blessings and was not answered. Rabbi Akiva then follows him and said, “Avinu malkeinu – Our father, our king, we have no king but You. Avinu malkeinu, for Your sake, have pity on us” – and got an immediate response! Because he preceded his request with the word “Avinu” – Abba. 

 

A Father in Spite of Everything 

The story is told about the gaon and zaddik, Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz zt”l, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir Yeshiva, who went to Har Hazeitim (Mount of Olives) on the day before Yom Kippur to pray at the graveside of tzaddikim, chief among them the holy “Ohr Hachaim”. On the way back, he stopped next to a site known as Yad Avshalom and stood there again and prayed at great length.  

 

His close associates and his students were surprised. This place is not known in tradition as a place of prayer; it is said to be connected to Avshalom, David Hamelech’s son, about whom the Navi (prophet – in this case, Shmuel Hanavi who wrote the book containing that story) says many severe things: He killed his brother, tried to take over his father’s kingdom, even went to war against him – wanting to kill his own father who was anointed by Hashem, and committed unspeakable transgressions. Why was R. Chaim praying there, of all places? 

 

Chaim explained to them: “After I prayed at the gravesites of the tzaddikim, I felt something was lacking, that something is blocking my prayers, and they are not being answered. When I got to Yad Avshalom, I thought about his story. He was such a rebellious son; he rebelled against his father cruelly and shamelessly. And yet, David Hamelech related to him with much compassion, and even when the war was going on, with David’s life in grave danger, he warned the commanders in front of all the people: ‘Deal gently with young Avshalom.’

 

“And when David was saved, thanks to Hashem’s kindness, and won the war and heard that his son had been killed, he wept and was terribly distressed: ‘The king shuddered, made his way up to the chamber above the gate and wept. And this is what he cried as he went: “My son, Avshalom, oh my son, my son Avshalom! If only I had died instead of you, Avshalom, my son, my son!”‘⁵ He said the word bni (my son) eight times and thus raised his son from the seven chambers of Gehinnom and got him into Gan Eden! 

 

“Based on this,” said R. Chaim, “I brought a claim before Hashem yitbarach: ‘Ribbono shel Olam (Master of the World), if a flesh-and-blood father like David Hamelech was able to forgive his rebellious son wholeheartedly because of the extent of his love for him, and did him the greatest favor in spite of his son persecuting him – how much more so, Father in Heaven, do You love us in any situation, even if we have sinned intentionally against You, and You certainly want to forgive us completely, wholeheartedly and decree only good things for us.’ Only after this prayer did I feel that my prayers had been accepted,” concluded R. Chaim. 

 

Therefore, the first stage in comforting is to know that we are Hashem’s children! To know truly that Hashem is a good Father! We can find a hint to that in the name of the month. This month of mourning and comforting is called “Av”, or “Menachem Av”. Because one cannot approach mourning, and certainly not be comforted, without knowing that everything is from our good Father in Heaven, Who loves us and wants to do only good for us, and more good and even better, and He will comfort us double and quadruple with the complete Geula and will reveal His huge love to his nation, speedily in our days, Amen. 

 

---

Editor’s Notes 

¹ Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 40:1 

² Yeshayahu 40:2 

³ Talmud Bavli, Tractate Brachot 3a 

⁴  Rebbe Nachman’s Stories, “The Seven Beggars”

⁵ Shmuel II (Second Book of Samuel) 19:1