Normally, we look at fear as no good. And we’ve been saying that. But it’s time put on our Rabbi Miller, or even better- our Hovot HaLevavot glasses, and appreciate that everything in the world is good. We have to ask why G-d our fear and anxiety into the world.
Here are some advantages:
1- Fear can protect you.
If we weren’t afraid of anything, we would not refrain from doing dangerous things. I once heard of a man who climbs up mountains in crazy ways, and it turned out that he was missing a certain chemical in his body, that produces fear and anxiety. Fear protects us.
So on a simple physical level, we have to thank Hashem for that. Similarly, pain is good. As we once discussed, pain tells you you’re in trouble. I recall learning in elementary school about a woman who was missing pain sensors. She put her hand on the (hot) stove, but didn’t realize it was burning until she smelled it. Every thing G-d put into this world is good for us.
So that’s a physical advantage of fear. We will continue with spiritual advantages:
2- Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin, in his sefer Tzidkat HaTzaddik, (letter 70) says: When Hashem wants to benefit someone, he wants him to pray, because you can’t get anything without prayer. So He gets us scared about something, we pray our heart out, and then we can get the good things He wants to give us. So when we have a fear of something, we can think, “Wow, Hashem wants to give me something great.”
We don’t pray like that on a regular day. But when we cry out, Hashem can give us something great.
So you have to stay out of work a few days, and start begging and crying like it’s Ne’ilah in the middle of March. You can earn some great things. Fear is an indicator that Hashem wants to give you something.
3- The Pele Yoetz says in his section of Pachad/Fear, that whenever you have a feeling or emotion you can channel it.
For example: people are happy when they gather their grain which is called Hag Ha’Asif, Therefore, G-d decided that that’s when He was going to make Succot. If G-d simply told us to celebrate the fact that we got through the Elul, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, that might not work, but since we are happy about gathering in the grain, we can use it to celebrate our spiritual accomplishments
The Pele Yoetz says that when you have a feeling of fear, channel it into being afraid of Hashem. He is the One in charge. Not Corona.
4- The fear itself protects you. How so?
The Gemarah in Masechet Berachot tells us that good dreams are bad, and bad dreams are good. Why? If you were supposed to win the lottery but then you had a dream that you won the lottery, you might have just cashed in your chips with the dream. Likewise, the Gemarah says that when you have a bad dream and wake up scared, you can break a bad decree with the bad dream. The fear itself can undo decrees.
And the Steipler asks, why does G-d make it so that you get a scare? For example, someone hears that he has to go for a biopsy.
He gets a big scare, gives $1,000 to charity, and then goes to do the test. Then the results are good. He may think, “Why the scare? It was all for nothing!”
But it was actually the fear that got rid of it!
Fear can break a decree.
5- Fear is an opportunity to exercise your Bitachon
If you’re afraid - you can overcome it by relying on Hashem and get rewarded for that. There is no bitachon without a good fear.
Right now, in Brooklyn, we aren’t using our bitachon to rely on Hashem that a volcano won’t erupt. We don’t need to rely for that. We don’t take out volcano insurance.
We can only have bitachon when and where there is a concern. Hashem is giving us an opportunity right now to have bitachon on our businesses, on our health, on everything in the world, because we have no idea what’s going on. We should look at this as an opportunity. Every fear is an opportunity to elevate our bitachon.
Let’s recap:
1- fear protects us
2- fear causes us to pray and get gifts from G-d
3- it’s an opportunity to channel fear towards G-d
4- fear is an exercise in bitachon
Additionally, fear can cause to do Teshuva.
The Ben ish chai says
HaRoeh Yisurim B’Im Alav
If you see suffering is coming, check your deeds. What does it mean “if you see it coming?” Nothing happened yet. The Ben Ish Chai explains that if you see that it’s looming, like a cloud- do Teshuva. And then cloud passes over. You see it as a fear from afar.
We have to thank these news channels for scaring us. I opened Yeshiva World yesterday and the headline was “Trump says Lockdown until August”
August???
Then I read the article and it said that the government is suggesting that for next two weeks, we should practice extra social distancing.
Is that lockdown?
Then it was “leaked” by CNN that a mandatory country-wide curfew would be imposed, but the Whitehouse denied it.
We have to thank them for the leaks, though, because we can use that fear.
People may disagree with me, but many people have said that a part of this is political. I heard this from an Adam Gadol.
Of course, it’s serious. I know that. And I am taking all the recommended precautions. We are six feet away from each other, I have my hand sanitizers, and the shul is shut down all day. It’s serious. I know.
But they are trying to scare us even more
People have said there’s a mentality out there of:
“We couldn’t bring Trump down with impeachment, so we will bring him down with corona.”
Not everyone and everything is Leshem Shamayim.
There are people out there that think that if this looks really bad, Trump could lose the election.
And again, I’m not saying it’s not serious. Please do not take this out of context. Please!!
One article quoted a top-ranking guy who said that we can either be like Italy or South Korea. As we know, Italy is a disaster whereas South Korea is under control. He was quoted as saying “We can be like Italy” But they left out half the full statement!
It’s like the famous perush from the Chafetz Chaim:
A man came to shul, heard part of a pasuk ......שׁוֹמֵר ה׳ אֶת כָּל אֹהֲבָיו וְאֵת כָּל הָרְשָׁעִים
Hashem watches all the ones he loves and the wicked …….
and then left early. He was bothered by what he heard: G-d watches the ones he loved and the wicked equally?
Another man came late and missed the beginning of that pasuk-
..........אֶת כָּל אֹהֲבָיו וְאֵת כָּל הָרְשָׁעִים יַשְׁמִיד.
………G-d destroys all the ones he loves and the wicked.
He was confused as well... Hashem would destroy all those he loved and the wicked?
But neither of them heard the whole pasuk:
שׁוֹמֵר ה׳ אֶת כָּל אֹהֲבָיו וְאֵת כָּל הָרְשָׁעִים יַשְׁמיד
( תהילים פרק קמה)
Hashem watches over all those He loves /and destroys the wicked.
It was taken out of context!
If you leave off one word here or another there, you miss the whole meaning.
We have to realize that this is what’s going on, but why is that what’s going on?
Because Hashem is instilling fear. Why?
1- He wants to protect us physically. He wants us to keep our hands clean and stay 6 feet away from people.
2- He wants to give us a great gift- but He wants us to pray for it.
3- He wants us to channel our fears to G-d
4- We can use the fear to increase our bitachon
5- It’s an opportunity to do Teshuva.
I am adding another reason- because When people are scared, they gave charity. Yesterday, I made a plea. I asked for donations for Lev Chana -I need $130,000. And just from that cyber-world appeal, $8,000 came in Baruch Hashem!
Therefore, please continue giving.
Tzedaka Tatzil MiMavet- charity saves us.
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Have a wonderful day.