Having discovered all your faults, you are depressed.
Imagine you have just found a doctor with a diagnosis that explains all your afflictions over the past many years. And he’s written a prescription directing you on a sure path to good health.
Shouldn’t you jump with joy and relief?
Rabbi, thanks for your encourging. I've never thought in this way before. It's a positive view to see it as our development when blamed by others that I understand what is my problem / fault. But what will be the power behind to have this positive view. Reply
With an attitude that anything is possible with our Divine Creator, G d, Blessed Is He, how can we possibly fail. However, we must be aware of our faults, just like being aware of our ailments. How can we possibly begin to change what’s wrong with us both mental and physical, if we don’t know where the root of the problem has taken hold. Very few people would ignore pain in any part of their body without contacting a physician. But many people seem to endure bad behaviors that bring pain and hurt to themselves and others. And it’s sad and unfortunate that more than few people in our world, even trained medical persons feel this way. Are we fearful of what we can’t actually touch, then I ask how can we as believers in G d, who we can’t actually touch,
proclaim that we are true believers? As sure as G d created man and this world, he didn’t forget to give all of us minds to think and act and expects us to nurture that part of our body as well.
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Rabbi,
how do you feel when you've personally worked with someone for years and see little improvement or growth in that person? do you feel as if you have failed the person? do you feel as if the the person has failed ? where do you go from ? where do you move from? how do you move? you say its ego. if the person can't see that it is indeed ego how does he move? what if he is just stuck? i am a realist. i suppose that is what makes me the sickest of all. regardless of my efforts i haven't the strength or the power to care any longer.
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Facing your faults.
What happens when you see your faults,and shame and pain is paralyzing and yet there are things you can not change,things that are beyond your ability to change.
It's not easy to let go the ego,but it's even harder to keep caring your shame inside without being able to change it even if you really try.
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Sure thing What is the name of that doctor ? I think that i already know Who it is. Some may not join/see the dots. Of am i missing something ? Reply
JOYFUL PROGNOSTICS WELL....depressed after discovering all of my faults, then finding a doctor to not only diagnose these many afflictions, BUT to write me a prescription to a sure path to health, you bet i'd be jumping up and down screaming with joy - AFTER asking the doctor the best way to STAY on the prescription to good health!!! Reply
Is G-d our enjoyment of his creation
Relatively speaking is G-d our "Enjoyment" of his fruits & creation?
Thank you.
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For Patricia, a few more words
Usually upon discovering our faults, we attempt denial. When that doesn't work, we feel shame and embarrassment, a sort of internal pain that can greatly decrease or even paralyze our capacity to grow and do good.
What's the cause of all this pain? Certainly not the faults themselves. Rather, it's our ego, which feels sorely insulted by this discovery. It's thinking, "But I'm supposed to be sooo good! I'm not supposed to have such horrible faults!"
I took this response from the Rebbe's letter to a person in despair over his faults. The Rebbe is telling us all to drop the ego, come to terms with who we really are, and work from there.
After all, none of us created ourselves. We came into this world with work to be done—most of that work to be applied to the personality assigned to us while in this physical body.
So happiness comes from dropping the pretenses, facing up to who we really are, and then joyfully plodding along the path uphill.
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Is the prescription covered by insurance?
Elsewhere on the Internet (not a Judaism-related site), I saw someone who had found a doctor with a diagnosis, and who had written a prescription. The person did not jump with joy and relief.
The person wanted to know how to get the prescription filled without spending any of the person's own money. Could the person buy insurance? Yes, but it would not cover the prescription, because the person did not buy insurance before starting to need the prescription, so it was a preexisting condition and would not be covered by insurance. Would the government pay for it? No. The person was not a child, disabled, elderly, or otherwise in legitimate need of Tzedakah. The person had a job and made enough money to pay for the prescription, just not enough to pay for the prescription and all the other things that the person did not need, but bought anyway.
So, the person decided to stay sick.
For some, a solution that is not free is no solution at all.
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Brevity Not Always a Virtue
This thought for the day was a little too brief for those of us who are novices.
Please continue the thought.
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nay contare my friend
Dear Sister--I call you Sister since we are all daughters of the King
I myself had this experience where I realised a huge fault or defect in myself and my soul shines and jumps for joy, why?
You ask why would a person rejoice over that? Because this gives me the chance and the sure knowledge that Hashem is with me guiding and directing my steps. He is also caring and loving me enough to insure me a great opportunity to chage and grow!
This is sure cause for celebration He also has given me a book to write about this and other great fantastic choices, so even though I felt sorrow--yes for a moment but only for a short time any longer that sadness would be remorse and this would lead to depression--this is not the Way of Hashem His ways are for joy and never trouble any trouble is for correction and this out of His great love for me and all of us His creation after all by the way after my sorrowing and grief over realisation of this fault I have to change, I met the most fantastic people.
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nice! Reply
Difficult Lessons Are the Hardest to Swallow!
I guess it really depends on whether or not you want to be healed! Do you want the cancer in your breast to grow until it explodes through the skin and completely destroys your body and health. Or, do you want the surgeon to operate and remove the cancer and give you a second chance at life?
For those that desire health, it is a welcomed diagnosis! As hard as the diagnosis might be to face, there is still a chance for life. Without surgery, death is certain and all remaining life is slowly squeezed out of the patient.
I guess it is all in what you desire!
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Bringing Heaven down to Earth Shouldn't we all be glad in it? Some of us are so earthly, that we automaticly think negative... Thank you for the quick insight... George Jimenez, sr.- Escondido, Calif... Reply
not so fast
Rabbi,
I am a big fan and I truly appreciate the important work you are doing. But, this time I think you have severly minimized the work for the atheist, agnostic to go from that world view to a new reality in which G-D exists and operates.
Foregoing a lifetime of a set of thoughts, belief and actions is giant
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Joy Rabbi, I read your devotion few days now about this Joy. At the beginning I also thought I do not have it. But now as I see the L-rd as my Joy, not a condition, not an "it", but the Person who loves me, I am doing much better. Reply
Watever attitudes we habitually use toward ourselves,we will use on others, we use on ourselves. the situation is comparable to our serving food to ourselves and to other people from the same bowl. Everyone ends up eating the same thing... we must examine carefully what we are dishig out.
We have the power to change our lives.
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I feel that the analogy has nothing to do with the first line. You wouldn't jump for joy, when you realize you have all these faults. Naturally you would feel sadness.
I think a better way to seet it would be to look for and find all your gifts and talents. To think of all the blessings you have in your life and to use these things in a productive, action-oriented way.
I think a better way to live is to realize we all have faults and moments were not proud of our actions. I once heard this advice, 'if someone says something negative about you, live your life so others won't believe it.' Meaning if someone says you're liar, be the more honest person. If someone says you're selfish, be the most generous person.
Elul is the perfect time to transform our negatives to positives. We have the power to do teshuva and change our lives and attitudes for the better. Shana Tova
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I am depressed. What you say about Knowing Your Faults is a fantasy. The so-called Cognitive Therapy has the same problem. Knowing what’s wrong does not solve anything. It’s just more depressing. Knowing the solution would be much more helpful but no one is willing to even think about that.
I would be much less depressed if I knew what HaShem wants me to do or what HaShem intends to do with me but unless He sends me some sort of sign I will probably stay depressed.