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Dealing with Difficulty



Question:

I find myself in a very difficult situation. Will I be able to overcome my problems?

Answer:

You haven't told me what the troubles are and I respect your wish to keep that to yourself. Working in the dark, all I can give you then is the counsel that our sages gave long ago--and since they are sages of Torah, their advice stands for every situation for every person.

The sages of the Mishnah taught us that "according to the camel is the load." G‑d knows His camels--He made them and He leads them through life. He knows just how much each one can take and He doesn't load any one up with anymore than he can handle

These are not problems you are having. These are loads. A camel driver loads his camel because something needs to be done with that load. The same with you--you are put in this world to accomplish certain missions and you are given exactly the load that your soul is meant to handle, no less and no more.

There is one difference, however: When the camel driver loads the camel, his interest is in the merchandise, not the camel. G‑d's principal interest is in your soul. In this way, the load he gives you is more like the weights a fitness coach might wrap on your wrists and ankles--not to slow you down, but on the contrary, to make you stronger and faster.

So too, think of G‑d as your personal trainer and these "problems" as the hurdles He is putting you through, only in order that you can go higher and higher, to a level to which you could never have imagined yourself.

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman for Chabad.org


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By Tzvi Freeman   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman heads Chabad.org's Ask The Rabbi team, and is a senior member of the Chabad.org editorial team. He is the author of a number of highly original renditions of Kabbalah and Chassidic teaching, including the universally acclaimed "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth." To order Tzvi's books click here. Rabbi Freeman is available for public speaking and workshops. Read more on his bio page.

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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: June 4, 2009
Who knows who can handle what?
Look--I try hard to believe I really, really, REALLY do. I want to believe and have faith in G-d (which ought to make belief easier, oughtn't it?), but I've seen too many camels with broken backs lying alongside the road asking to be shot. I want to believe that there are no coincidencesand all, but whay is it that some camels collapse under their (properly apportioned, if it is said), and other do not?
Posted By Anonymous, Kew Gardens, NY

Posted: Oct 22, 2008
dealing with difficulty
Very true indeed. I am truly enriched by the answer to dealing with difficulty.
Posted By Anonymous, Nairobi, Kenya

Posted: Apr 5, 2008
Well Said -
I love reading your "Question and Answer" segments.
You write so eloquently and I find more often than not, I can relate to others questions and challenges. Your answers are always beautifully written with care and concern, i am sure everyone can benefit somehow.

I look forward to your future articles...
Shavua Tov -
Posted By Duby , Morristown , NJ



 


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