Your Biggest Fan

Translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody
 
 
According to Rebbe Nachman, the practice of searching for and focusing on our good points is much more than a recipe for helping us to get through the day; it is the foundation for anyone wanting to get closer to Hashem. There's nothing in the universe like sadness, depression, frustration or disappointment for keeping a person away from Hashem. That's the very reason why these are the evil inclination’sfavorite weapons.  
 
Frequently I speak to people in real serious trouble. Their problems seem insurmountable; they give up and fall into a pit of despair. The worst thing about such a situation is that rather than turning to Hashem for help, the poor souls start coming down hard on themselves in a hideous destructive and torturous process of self-persecution. The consequences of the way they torment themselves often turn out far worse than the original problem itself. The unfortunate victims turn themselves into their own worst enemy. That’s too bad.
 
If you are anything like most people, you feel periodically bombarded with problems from all sides too. Perhaps you are beset with worry, not knowing where to turn. Where will you be in the next hour? Where is your next meal coming from? How are you going to pay your bills? You have no ideas or solutions to your problems. Perhaps you have a sick child; a problem in shalom bayit—there's no peace in the home; or you have problems at work.
 
The reality of the situation however, is that you're not alone in the world. No matter who you are, or where you are, just remember one thing: Hashem is right there with you!!! You're not alone.
 
And not only is Hashem right there with you, but Hashem is cheering for you. He's rooting for you. He's supporting you. He's caring for you, every single moment. And as a reminder that Hashem loves you more than you could ever imagine, I'm giving you a signed check for the bank of your heart. If you want to put a price tag on that love, there's not enough room on the check for all the zeroes.
 
Hashem is not only a loving Father; He’s your personal cheering section! He wants you to be happy and successful. But do you want to? Really? If you do, you’ll want to start turning your self-destructive traits into tools for growth. Here’s how:
 
Each morning and night we read in the Shema: "You shall love Hashem your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." According to our holy Jewish sages, the "all" means with our good inclination and with our evil inclination. You don't overcome evil by watching yourself like a hawk, anymore than you can get rid of darkness without turning on the lights. You overcome evil by good, and exploit your evil inclination to make it a friend, not an enemy.
 
It's a remarkable thing that when a person learns the Torah way of approaching life, specifically their very worst traits can be transformed into the very loftiest attributes.
The following story from the Talmud[1] illustrates this lesson well.
 
Rabbi Yochanan was a famous Torah scholar with long flowing hair known for his great beauty. Once while bathing in the Jordan River, Rabbi Yochanan was noticed by Resh Lakish, a notorious feared highway robber. Mistaking the famous rabbi for a beautiful woman, the highway robber dived into the river. With just a single bound, this rogue was standing next to the great rabbi.
 
With unbelievably calm composure, Rabbi Yochanan remarked;
 "Thy strength would be more appropriate for studying the Law."
 
"And thy beauty for women," answered Resh Lakish.
 
Rabbi Yochanan concentrated his attention solely on the highway robber's merits, his great internal and external strength. He encouraged the robber to channel his strengths positively, enticing him to begin studying in yeshiva. In return, the rabbi promised his beautiful sister's hand in marriage.
 
With perception that would elude 99.9 per cent of humanity, Rabbi Yochanan recognized the robber's yetzer hara as nothing but a mask for his good inclination. This extraordinary example of the power of a good eye led to such a dramatic change of lifestyle, from highway robber to giant of Talmud, that we could compare the transformation to the resurrection of the dead. While Resh Lakish, highway robber, was under the unrestrained domination of his yetzer hara, not only was he his own worst enemy, but the worst enemy of the whole land. Through the power of learning, Resh Lakish found a different way of seeing himself. From an externally vile person, he became one of the greatest Torah teachers ever known. Our source of greatest weakness can become transformed into our source of greatest strength when we accept the medicine the Author of Life prescribes us.
 
"But my yetzer is stronger than that of anyone else I know," a young guy who loves to chain-smoke all day says.
 
Who gave us our evil inclination? Surely it was our Creator. We need to know ourselves, and know that Hashem would never give us an evil inclination without the power to overcome it. A story of Rebbe Nachman of Breslev (sometimes attributed to Herschel of Ostropl) demonstrates this principle:
 
A traveler was once stopped by a highway robber. The robber pointed his gun at him and demanded his moneybag. The traveler said, "Don't shoot! I'll gladly give you my money. But I will ask a favor of you. If I come home empty-handed, my wife will never believe that I was robbed. She'll accuse me of having thrown away my money on gambling or on liquor, and she will beat me mercilessly. Please do me the favor of firing several bullets through my hat, and then I can prove to her that I was held up."
 
The robber saw no reason why not to comply. He took the moneybag, and then shot several times through the man's hat.
 
"Thank you so much," the traveler said. "But you don't know my wife. She will say I punctured the hat myself, and that these were not bullet holes at all. Here, take my coat, and shoot several bullets through it at close range, leaving the powder marks. That will convince her for sure."
 
The robber complied with the traveler's request a second time, and fired several shots through the coat. When the traveler saw that the last pull of the trigger used up the remaining bullets, he promptly pounced on the robber, knocking him to the ground, and retrieving his moneybag.
 
The robber represents the yetzer hara, who wishes to deprive us of all our God-given power. Sometimes we may allow the yetzer hara to fire all his bullets. When he has used up all his ammunition, we pounce upon him and subdue him.
 
Then what happens? You now take your powers, and channel them into doing Hashem’s will. And that’s exciting, because Hashem is cheering for you the whole time. He’s your biggest fan.