FALLEN FEARS AND PHOBIAS

Question:
So much has been happening in my life. One "unexpected" difficulty after the next. The combined stress and feelings of worry leave me feeling full of fears and phobias that I will meet with a dead-end situation in life. What to do?

Answer:
An important rule to remember in life: Hashem only sends a test to a person that he can handle. And if it seems above his level, that is obviously a trick of the evil one.

Thus, the phobias and fears of failure and "losing out" are a direct cause of the evil side convincing us so. He takes advantage of this to make us feel meek and weak. Indeed the main reason that people give up is simply because of this.

So, what to do? The stress and worrisome feeling are to push you in a specific direction. It is up to you where you direct it. If you are accustomed to doing hitbodedut, training yourself to consistently talk to Hashem and involve Him with your day-to-day life situations, then the natural direction pushed will be upwards toward Hashem. But if not, then obviously the direction will push a person elsewhere, Heaven forbid.

When you join Hashem in your stressful situation, this eventually and miraculously gives you the strength to overcome these fallen fears and phobias. Like what Reb Eliezer, the father of the Baal Shem Tov, told his little son (around age 4) before Reb Eliezer passed away: "Fear no one except for Hashem". A strong heart helps a person overcome all of his fears. See Likutey Moharan part 2 lesson 43.

All the best and be strong.

OVERCOMING DEPRESSION OVER FINANCIAL STRAITS

BH

Question:
Today I was so depressed. I was in bed lying there like a log for several hours, just waiting for my life to end. I am just overwhelmed with all the strains and difficulties in my life, especially the financial straits that I am stuck in. What to do?

Answer:
Firstly, we realize that Hashem is in charge of everything and responsible for taking care of us. Paraphrasing Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai: "You [Hashem] put me in this world, then You have the responsibility of taking care of me". This is a fundamental of Faith and Trust in Hashem - that He loves us and that He won't ever strand us alone.

The problem starts when we sin and stumble and then the evil side brings us convincing arguments that we are no longer deserving of Hashem's benevolence. So that when a "tight" situation arises we are quick to make fatal and despairing conclusions that it is all over.

However, the real truth is that Hashem is still there. He is just waiting for us to do the right thing - i.e. to come back to and turn to Him for help. And if we don't do this, then He simply squeezes us some more until we get the message clearly.

Rebbe Nachman teaches (Likutey Moharan #56) that sighing over one's desperate and depressing situation can actually break the chain and release oneself from the influence of the evil sides convincing arguments. Give it a try and please get back to me.

Kol tuv and be well and don't ever give up, even if you are knocked down.

Difficulties Being Positive and Happy

BH

Question:
I am having a very, very difficult time being positive and happy in anything I am doing lately. I feel as if Hashem Himself is against me and Hiding His Countenance and compassion from me. What to do?

Answer:
Firstly, realize that we are now in the 3 week period before the 9th of Av, so anyways things are expected to be difficult and in a very concealed format. This is done so that a person should feel the squeeze and pressure in order to express his personal pain together with the mourning over the destruction of our Holy Temple and the death of the Tzaddikim, which is required during these 3 weeks.

From here you can see that there are times which contribute to a mood and attitude. This is in line with what is written in Kohellet regarding the 24 times. E.g. a time to cry - a time to sing etc. With this is mind you can at least console yourself that things "will" get better since the time-factor is the cause of the situation. There is hope even though the situation seems to tell us that there isn't. Don't be fooled. Just be patient and wait out until the salvation comes.

Secondly, this situation is sent from Heaven to prepare a person for his next, upcoming ascent. The only way to propel him is to first constrict him to a lower descent to the point where a person's "pintele yid" (inner Jewish essence) is touched and awakened to feel the distance and pain of being far from Hashem. Thus it is basically a descent preparing for an ascent.

Heaven knows how much to squeeze a person, so that even though it may seem unbearable from the person's side, still Hashem is waiting to touch that specific point within the person and only then to bring him up. It is like a scuba-diver searching for pearls in the depths of the sea. He must go deeper and deeper until he actually finds the hidden treasure.

Kol tuv, be well and be strong. Don't give up!

CONCENTRATING DURING PRAYERS

Question:
I am having major, major obstacles concentrating during prayers. You could say that the majority of my prayers went down the drain. What to do?

Answer:
Take a look very carefully in the book Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, and at the end of the Likutey Moharan (volume 15 of the BRI edition). There you will find many beautiful conversations about this problem. In short though, Rebbe Nachman says that it is impossible for somebody to totally concentrate and focus on the prayers from beginning to end. He would not be able to handle the immense opposition and prosecutions against him.

Also, he says that since the fixed prayers are familiar ground to the evil side, they always attack a person when passing this well-trodden path.

Some advice:

• Focus on the present word that you are saying
• Try to picture the general picture of the greatness of Hashem and why you are praying to Him.
• Another very special advice is to go with a lesson from the Likutey Moharan and try to connect and interpret the prayer service in line with the lesson. You will see awesome wonders.
• Sometimes you just feel so under attack and overwhelmed with negative and worrisome thoughts, that this itself might push you to a warrior attitude in your davening, and this can help you focus on the words through force.