Appreciating the Answer

I’ll tell you a maaseh. One of the great Chassidishe Rebbes was the Rebbe Reb Bunim from Peshischa. In his younger years, he would often visit one of the great Chassidishe Rebbes of the prior generation—Rav Moshe Leib of Sassov.

Rav Moshe Leib was known as a great mekarev. He was a tremendous oheiv Yisroel who frequently traveled around to meet with and uplift Yiddishe neshamos. He was also a tremendous talmid chacham—a deep lamdan, a great mechadesh.

So the story goes like this. Reb Bunim was once by Rav Moshe Leib of Sassov. Rav Moshe Leib was giving a shiur, teaching Gemara to his Chassidim. They were learning a sugya with Rishonim and they came across a passage from the Rosh. Rav Moshe Leib commented that the wording the Rosh used in one line was a little strange, and he thought it could have said it in a simpler way.

From that little question, Rav Moshe Leib went on to say an unbelievable chiddush, a new, brilliant idea in the Gemara that answered that “funny” line in the Rosh. It was a massive, beautiful chiddush.

Reb Bunim was amazed. He said to Rav Moshe Leib, “Just because of such a small question, you came up with such a deep and stunning idea?”

Rav Moshe Leib smiled and said, “You have it backwards. I first thought of the chiddush. The idea itself resonated in my heart as true. But then I had to find a kasha to package it in. You can’t just walk in and say, ‘Here’s a huge chiddush!’—you need a question to give it context. When I noticed this odd line in the Rosh, that gave the chiddush a legitimate home.”

Reb Bunim heard this and said, “You should know, that’s not just true for you — it’s true for the Ribbono Shel Olam as well!”

He explained: “The Gemara says that Hashem is makdim refuah lamakah—He brings the healing before the sickness. We usually think that means Hashem first prepares the cure, and then brings the challenge that needs to be healed. But it’s deeper than that. Hashem wants to bring refuah, to send blessing and healing into the world. But to make room for that refuah, there has to be a makah—a question, a challenge. So He creates the difficulty only to give space for the blessing to come through.”

“That’s how a Jew has to see life,” the Rebbe said. “It’s not that Hashem gives us a problem and then finds us a solution. Hashem wants to give us yeshuos and brachos, but there needs to be a kasha first, to make it real, to give it a place in this world. Once you realize that, you see that even the smallest challenge, the tiniest question, can open the door for incredible shefa.”

“Sometimes,” he said, “all Hashem has to do is make a little kasha—just a small, off phrase in the Rosh—and that’s all the space needed for big truths and big brachos to enter the world.”

May we be zocheh to handle all our kashas with strength and faith, and to recognize that within every question lies an invitation for blessing, enough space for bracha both begashmiyus and beruchniyus.  

You have it backwards. I first thought of the chiddush. The idea itself resonated in my heart as true. But then I had to find a kasha to package it in!