Making our way into Chapter 26 of the Tanya we continue the theme of serving God in happiness. More than this – simply being happy with everything as it is. Nobody is saying this is easy. The Alter Rebbe is, however, telling us that we need to reframe ourselves into seeing things in their correct perspective.
The Alter Rebbe tells us that there is a way to bring ourselves to a state of happiness. Even when matters concern our livelihood, our children (or lack thereof) and our health, still we need to see things in the way they should be viewed — if we are to get ourselves to be happy.
The Alter Rebbe tells us we can learn from the teaching of our Sages that says that we should bless God for the bad as we do for the good. This doesn’t just mean saying the actual words (mere lip service), but rather it means actually living our lives this way.
This means being able to accept the challenges, difficulties, problems and suffering we go through, with as much happiness as if these things were actually happy things. This is blessing God for the bad as we do for the good. When we can see the “bad” that happens as coming from the same God who gives us the good we have in our lives.
In fact this is so. As is taught to us elsewhere, “no bad descends from Above,” and if so, then even the “bad” that is happening is really good. The only thing is that we cannot see the good. But that is on our side. As for what is actually happening, there are two types of flow of Divine energy. There is that that comes from what is called the “Revealed World” and then there is that that comes from what is called the “Hidden World”.
What we perceive as revealed good is what comes to us through the Revealed World. What we perceive as evil is what comes to us through the Hidden World. But in reality, it is just another flow of good which has been concealed in another wrapping. Through that wrapping everything appears bad, but in its essence, it is really good – just that it is hidden.
In fact, the flow that comes to us from that Hidden World is actually an even better good than that that flows through the Revealed World. But because we cannot see it or understand it, it is this that makes us see our suffering as bad.
The Alter Rebbe is telling us that we need to shift our viewpoints and to be aware that everything ultimately comes from God and if ultimately good. That we cannot see it that way is only on our part. It will certainly be revealed to us at a later time. Meanwhile, we should still use this same process of thinking to help us get through the difficult times we go through.
