This week has been one of the most painful weeks for me; a close childhood friend of mine lost his 22 month old son to a tragic accident. Death is always sad and painful, but it is unnatural for a father to bury his son. As a father myself, the loss is unthinkably difficult.
My intention is not to burden you with bad news but please, hear me out. Too often people only think about G-d when something painful happens. They get angry at G-d, they question G-d, and in the extreme, they turn their backs on G-d.
Perhaps we should consider that today the sun rose, this morning you woke up and ate breakfast. You walked about your house and prepared for the day. Did you take the time to thank G-d for returning your soul this morning? Did you take time to be mindful of all the blessings in your life?
A tragic event like this reminds us to hold precious all the blessings in our life. Spend a bit more time with your loved ones, visit or call your parents just to say hi. The time which we have is so precious and dear, there’s no time for petty arguments (and in the scheme of things, they’re truly all petty) and let’s not waste our emotional energy on allowing ourselves to feel slighted by others.
This Shabbat, the Shabbat prior to Tisha B’av, is known as “Shabbat Chazon.” Simply, it’s due to the first word of the haftorah. However, there is a deep, profound lesson of the great Chassidic teacher Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev who explains another reason for the name of this Shabbat. “Chazon” means vision, and on this Shabbat, “every Jew is granted a vision from afar of the future Beit HaMikdash (the Holy Temple).”
The Rebbe expounded on this idea and explained that the darkest time of the year are the days leading to Tisha B’av, the day when the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed and the Jewish people were sent into exile. Yet even at this darkest time, we are given a glimpse of the future redemption. We are able to perceive, on a deep soul level, the future redemption and the G-dly revelation that will come with it. This “vision” provides us with the spiritual resources necessary to overcome the darkness.
A tragedy like my friend and his family endured this week can be just that, a painful tragedy. Or it could lead us to strengthen the important things in life. It can encourage us to focus more on the truly valuable aspects of life and help us not get distracted by the temporary and ultimately, yes, completely unimportant, parts of life.
May we share good news!