The Gift of Godliness When Blessing Is Withheld

1aLet us build on the holy words of the elder Rebbe of Vurka, zt"l, quoted above (section 12), and on what we said in explaining the holy words of my father and teacher, zt"l, and on Rashi's comment on “May God give you” (Bereishis 27:28): “with judgment: if you are worthy, He will give you,” and so on; see there. This means that Hashem will give the blessing only if He knows that it is good for the person, and that he will not kick against Hashem, Heaven forbid. If he will have good children who serve Hashem, then He will give it to him. But He will not give it as “wealth kept by its owner to his harm” (Koheles 5:12), or as wicked children, Heaven forbid. This is the aspect of gevurah within chessed, severity within kindness, which contracts the attribute of kindness so that it does not spread without limit, as is known.

1bWith this we can explain the Midrash Rabbah (Bereishis Rabbah 66:3): “‘May He give you’: may He give, and give again. May He give you blessings, and may He give you the strength to master them. May He give you what is yours, and may He give you what is your father's. May He give you what is yours, and may He give you what is your brother's. R' Acha said: May He give you, and may He give you His Godliness. When? When you need it, as it says, ‘Shimshon said: Hashem God, remember me, I pray, and strengthen me, I pray’ (Shoftim 16:28). He said before Him: ‘Master of the worlds, remember for me the blessing with which my father blessed me: May He give you, and may He give you His Godliness.’” Here is the meaning. “May He give you blessings, and may He give you the strength to master them”: He will give you wealth, honor and children, and He will also give you the courage and strength to conquer the yetzer hara that grows out of them and tries to make your heart proud, so that you forget Hashem, Heaven forbid. “What is yours and what is your father's”: in your own merit and in the merit of the holy Avos. “And may He give you what is your brother's”: if your brother suffers because of what you lack, and that suffering was not decreed upon him, He will give you the blessings in your brother's merit.

2a“R' Acha said: May He give you, and may He give you His Godliness. When? When you need it.” Sometimes a blessing is withheld from you because Hashem sees that it would be a “good” that is really a kind of harm, Heaven forbid, and in such a case the withholding is itself the true blessing. At such a time He will give you understanding and insight, so that you will know this and strengthen your heart: this lack is one of Hashem's kindnesses, from the aspect of gevurah within chessed described above. That is “may He give you His Godliness”: that at such a time you will know that everything is from Hashem. And when Shimshon was in great distress, he prayed, “Hashem God, remember me, I pray, and strengthen me, I pray” (Shoftim 16:28). He was asking Hashem to grant him understanding, insight and inner strength to know that everything is from Hashem and everything is for the good.

2bIn truth, when a person understands this fully and sincerely, and accepts everything with love, this faith and knowledge sweeten all the harsh judgments, and everything turns to good at once, as the holy books explain. A Jew swamped with troubles, may Hashem save us, may pray in truth and with a pure heart that Hashem remember him and take note of his affliction and wandering, and grant him to know that everything is from Hashem and for the good, and that he may accept everything with love. Then the blessing of Yitzchak Avinu is awakened, and Hashem grants him complete understanding. As soon as he knows this truly and believes it with complete faith, everything is sweetened, and he merits mercy and good, revealed kindness.