At first glance, it can seem hard to relate to nechamah. Mourning the Churban is something we can emotionally grasp — we connect to the pain of Klal Yisrael’s past and ongoing suffering. But comfort? While we are still sitting in the darkness of exile, how can we truly feel consoled when the redemption hasn’t yet come?
It is taught in the seforim that the purpose of creating “evil” in the world is, as Shlomo Hamelech said, (Koheles 2:9): “Keyisron haor min hachoshech” “As the advantage of light that comes forth from the darkness.” That is, the greatest effect of light is when it’s min hachoshech, coming after darkness. We appreciate the strength and beauty of light specifically after turning one on in a dark room. True clarity only comes from contrast.
Similarly, the ultimate truth is that Hashem is One and His Name is One, and there is absolutely nothing besides Him. Hashem created the world so that this truth would become revealed to all people. If no one acknowledges the king, his kingship is not fully realized. Ein melech b’lo am, there’s no king without a nation.
But it’s not enough for Hashem to create the world and rule over it with force — because that would not clarify or reveal His unity in its full strength.
Therefore, when Hashem wanted to reveal His unity and kingship over all creation, He didn’t immediately rule openly and absolutely. If He had done so, all of creation would have immediately recognized Him and there would be no free will, no opposition, no process of discovery.
Instead, Hashem created a world that appears to run contrary to His Will — a world with things that look like they contradict or hide His presence. Why? Because when the time comes, Hashem will reveal that even all those things that looked like opposition were really under His rule all along. This will truly fulfill “keyisron haor min hachoshech”, as the advantage of light in contrast to darkness.
The final revelation will be so powerful because it will show that what once seemed opposite to Hashem — all the confusion, impurity, and suffering — was really part of His plan. That’s what is referred to in seforim that “evil becomes a throne for good:” the evil ends up serving good, and good “rides” on top of the evil to be revealed in a stronger way, something that is only possible through the prior existence of evil.
So, it turns out that everything in the world — every hardship, every moment of suffering — is not just something we must endure. It’s part of building the future revelation of Hashem’s unity. Every test a Yid experiences — whether spiritual or physical — is part of the ultimate geulah.
Yes, of course we must have emunah and bitachon that every pain and suffering has its deeper good for the person. But there’s another layer: when a person stands strong in darkness, he is helping bring about the moment when the whole world will know that there was never any other power besides Hashem. He’s participating in revealing Hashem’s Malchus, which can only be fully revealed through enduring the lack thereof beforehand.
This is the deeper meaning behind the Mishnah in Berachos (9:5): “A person must bless Hashem for the bad just as he blesses for the good.” And the Gemara explains: This means accepting it with joy.
Now that’s hard to grasp. How can regular people be expected to rejoice in suffering? It’s already a big level to accept it with love and emunah — but joy?
The answer is what we’ve said above: our suffering plays a role in bringing about the future revelation of Hashem’s unity. When a person is suffering and it feels like darkness is surrounding him — if he remembers that this will lead to the ultimate truth being revealed — that gives him a spark of joy. Because he knows: “I’m part of this. I’m building the geulah.”
That’s true simchah — to know that every drop of pain brings the world closer to recognizing Hashem’s unity. Every hardship is another stone in the palace of Hashem’s kingship.
All the forces that seemed opposed to holiness — all the desires, all the temptations, all the struggles — they were never independent. They were all tools of Hashem, used to build His ultimate revelation. And when that becomes clear, Hashem’s Name will be sanctified beyond anything we can imagine.
Then, all nations will be transformed, and all of them will call out in the Name of Hashem. Then we will see, with our own eyes, that even all the darkness was only Hashem. All the nations, all the evil, all the suffering — they were all messengers of Hashem, preparing the world for the greatest light.
And that is our nechamah even now. It gives us koach to keep going. Even when we are surrounded by hester panim — when Hashem’s presence is hidden and the nations taunt us, “Where is your G-d?” — we know it’s worth it.
Because all of this is leading to that day when it will be clear to everyone that there is nothing but Him. And that day will shine brighter because of the darkness that came before. And what a glorious, ultimate, and pleasantly surprising revelation that will be.
Take It To Go!
Although the ultimate revelation will indeed be when Hashem will lift the curtains and bring the geulah, we can start to experience this comfort right here and now. Many times, a person has the opportunity to witness how so many areas in his life – that may have seemed hopeless at the time and perhaps absent of Hashem’s involvement – have ultimately come around for the better at the end. When that happens, we can either just be thankful of Hashem’s compassion on us by redeeming us from that difficulty, or we can perceive it with a deeper set of lenses, whereby the person becomes aware that he was just witness to a revelation of Hashem’s Yichud, His oneness, within his personal life.
Furthermore, even before meriting to actually see the light at the end of the tunnel, as he experiences his challenge or difficult time of darkness, there is that sense of fulfillment by knowing and connecting to this grand masterplan that can only be brought about through our role in it. So, my friends, hang in there and hold your chin up high; you’re in the spotlight!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 47.
