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Chapter Two: | 27
And this is especially true of those people who have fallen prey to
every sort of addiction: cigarettes and drugs, alcohol and gambling,
overeating and computer games, videos and social media. Some
Shmuel Eliezer Stern people aren’t even aware that they are imprisoned and in terrible
Member of the Beit Din Tzedek of Maran Hagaon Rav Shmuel darkness. But none of them nurse any hope of leaving their situation,
because they see no way of freeing themselves from the chains of
Wosner zatzal their addictions.
Rosh Yeshiva, Chug Chatam Sofer
Rav Ma’arav Bnei Brak Everyone and His Burden
Not only people who are immersed in the depths of evil feel that
Baruch Hashem Av 5776 they have no choice, but even people who keep the Torah and
its commandments, even scholars who learn Torah, pray carefully
The honorable rabbi and tzaddik, famous for his mighty and are exacting about every halachah, whether easy or hard. Each
deeds and for his precious books, Rabbi Shalom Arush, whose one has his own challenges and an area or areas in which he does
mighty activities span the globe in strengthening the hearts of the not conceive of himself as being able to change. There may be a
broken and consoling them in the way of the Torah and faith, particular desire that overcomes him, a challenge to wake up on
illuminating their paths so that they know where to go and what time, to guard his eyes or guard his tongue, he may face tests of
to do, constantly increases his holy work and acts energetically to his faith, he may struggle with evil traits such as anger and envy, he
spread the light—and he has now done so with his valuable book, A may be unable to maintain peace in his home, and the like.
New Light, which contains meaningful and outstanding teachings
to strengthen people’s power of the will, which allows them to lead Every individual has his own burden, an area in which he thinks
a life in which they serve Hashem. he cannot change. He feels broken. And sometimes he despairs so
completely that he no longer even feels broken. Instead, he makes
May Hashem his God be with him. May he successfully his peace with his “reality” that overcoming his difficult challenge is
spread his wellsprings upon the face of the earth, increase Torah beyond him. Every individual on every level has the feeling that at
and make it mighty, and help the Jewish people by extending the some point he lacks free will.
borders of holiness and purity with might and force, in keeping with
the desire of his pure soul and in keeping with the blessing of those Such a person is not permitted to comfort himself with the
who value his deeds. thought, “I have worked hard on myself, and except for this or
that particular issue, I choose the good. My failure isn’t so terrible.
Will heaven be exacting with me just because of this one issue?”
It is absolutely forbidden to think this way. A person must know
that a challenge that is so difficult that he makes no headway in
overcoming it constitutes the essence of what he must rectify. That
is the mission for whose sake he came to this world. Conversely,
something easy for him to master is not something for whose sake
he came to this world.
