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!