An appreciation of suffering

R’ Eliezer was ill. The sages came to visit. Seeing him in his condition one of them exclaimed “You are more important to us than the sun, which helps us only in this world, whereas you help us in the world to come too!” Another said “You are more valuable than rain, which helps us in this world, but you help us in the world to come also”. The third said “You are better than ones father and mother who cannot help one in death; whereas you help both in life and in death” (Perhaps they ere invoking Heavenly mercy by expressing how crucial Rabbi Eliezer was to the Jewish people) Rabbi Akiva commented “Suffering is precious!” Rabbi Eliezer heard that and said “Prop me up to be able to hear Rabbi Akiva’s words”. He then turned to Rabbi Akiva and asked “Akiva, how do you know this?” Rabbi Akiva answered that we find Menashe, king of Israel, did wickedness all his life, and never learnt how to go straight, although his father was teacher to all Israel. Yet when suffering came upon him, he too turned to Hashem. Certainly if his father taught all Israel he attempted to teach his own son. And yet suffering did for him what teaching could not. This was the basis for his statement that suffering is precious. It is precious because it reaches a person on a level that nothing else can, and succeeds – if properly utilized – to propel him into spiritual growth.

The gemarah tells us that Achashverosh handing his ring over to Haman was greater than forty eight prophets and seven prophetesses who prophesied to the Jews, for they all did not succeed in returning them to Hashem as did the trouble caused by Achashverosh handing over his ring. The principle here is the same; great is suffering, for it affects a person like no other thing can. We may not seek suffering, and we certainly can keep it at a minimum by maximizing our learning from each dose, so we should not need so heavy a portion, but bottom line is that suffering is good for our soul.

We drink on Purim until we do not know between “Arur Haman” and “Baruch Mordechai”. Perhaps this includes that there was positive benefit to us in the trouble we had from Haman; we grew spiritually from it, and are glad (in retrospect) to have gone through it. The spiritual power of Mordechai also affected us greatly, and he was who transformed the threat into a victory for us. What is greater; the problem of Haman, or the solution of Mordecai? Mordechai is the greater of the two, but by a small enough margin that drink can obscure that knowledge.