Dear Friends,
A person with clear vision doesn't just see the challenge—they can also see the opportunity hidden inside it.
This week's (first ) Parshah, Chukas, tells the story of the fiery snakes. In short, after the Jewish people complained once again, Hashem sent poisonous snakes that bit them, and many people died.
Realizing their mistake, the people turned to Moshe. Hashem told him to make a copper snake and place it on a pole. Anyone who had been bitten could look at it and be healed.
The Talmud points out something fascinating: it wasn't the copper snake that healed anyone. The healing came when people looked upward and turned their hearts to Hashem.
But if the goal was simply to get everyone to look up, why make a snake? Why use the very thing that caused the pain?
Chassidus explains that sometimes the challenge itself contains the key to our growth. The snake, which represents the Yetzer Hara (inner evil inclination) and the struggles we all face, isn't just something to avoid—it can become the catalyst that pushes us to discover strengths and faith we didn't know we had.
When we only look down at the problem, all we see is fear, frustration, and pain. Hashem tells us to look up—to search for the deeper purpose behind what we're experiencing. That shift in perspective doesn't erase the challenge, but it can transform what the challenge does to us.
It's interesting that even today, antivenom is made from tiny amounts of snake venom. In a very real sense, the cure comes from the source of the danger itself.
Many of life's hardest moments work the same way. We wouldn't choose them, but they often reveal resilience, courage, and spiritual depth that would have remained hidden otherwise.
This Shabbos is the 12th of Tammuz, marking the 99th anniversary of the release of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe from Soviet prison. What looked like a devastating setback ultimately opened the door for him to leave the Soviet Union and dramatically expand Torah, Jewish life, and Chassidus around the world. His work was later carried forward on an unprecedented global scale by the Rebbe.
Looking back, the prison wasn't the end of the story—it became part of the story of redemption.
We don't always understand why challenges happen. But Parshas Chukas reminds us that if we learn to look upward, we may discover that what seemed like the obstacle was also preparing us for our greatest.
Shabbat Shalom!
Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Yitzi Hein