Monday, December 15, 2008

A Rabbi Nachman Story

B"H

I heard the following story about Rabbi Nachman of Breslov from Rabbi Mordechai Machlis:

Once Rabbi Nachman went for a walk and saw a young buy standing in the street and crying. He went over and asked the boy why he was so sad. The boy responded that him and a few other children played "Seek - and - Hide" and non of the other children had come searching for him.

Rabbi Nachman told the boy that it is the same with G - d. Sometimes He is crying as well (in a metaphorical sense). Our task in this world is to seek and find G - d. Everything in this physical world is "hidden" and we need to seek and find.
The Hebrew word for "World" is "Olam". Olam also has the same roots as the word "Ne'elam - Disappear or Hidden".

As G - d is hidden throughout the whole Purim story, He does the same practise in our private lives. Each one of us should individually think about how many miracles have happened in his life so far. Sometimes it is hard for us to understand that we failed. If something negative is happening to us, we concentrate our mind on asking why it happened to us and what the purpose may be. Our problem is that we don't see the whole picture but only small parts of it. The moment we review certain events in the future, we usually get a clearer picture and many times understand that even the negativity in a particular situation had turned out to be positive for us.

1 comment:

  1. I love Machlis stories--both from the Rabbi and his wife. By the way, anyone who knows (or not)can do a great mitzva by helping them financially via their website: www.machlis.org In these tough times more people than ever come to them each Shabbat looking for hospitality--and nobody has ever been sent away. One visitor even said that "Tour Guides" are giving out the address--chutzpah! Please let me encourage your readers to give generously to a great family who for almost 30 years have been giving everything they have!

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