There is an obvious difficulty with inspiration. When a person is in an inspired state it is easy to feel and discuss all sorts of lofty ideas and ideals. But that isn't when those ideas are really needed. And when the challenging times come, it is impossible for a person to speak straight. It is like one of those stories from the Baal Shem Tov about someone who is so ignorant that he doesn't even know aleph-bet. In difficult times people often find it impossible to find the strength to speak to their friends; how are they supposed to find comfort and inspiration in the midst of the difficulties?
The Noam Elimelech explains that the real task is to utilize the moments of inspiration to shine upon the times of difficulty. It is similar to someone who is studying Torah and he might toil on a particular topic for many hours. Sometimes it may take weeks until he understands. As he keeps plugging away he understands a tiny bit more at at a time, and frequently, because of his overall confusion, he doesn't even notice that bit. Eventually, when he has clarity, he realizes that it was all the little bits that contributed to his ultimate comprehension. All the toil becomes wortwhile in retrospect.
The same is true when a person is finding it challenging to engage in his relationship with Hashem. Long periods may pass and he may feel that he is not advancing whatsoever. He feels that he neither learns nor davens properly. Only after a lengthy period of time does he begin to see that every little bit that he does adds up. At that point, all the frustration he had been feeling turns into a feeling of success. Even when he isn't finding any inspiration or silver linings, he can know to be patient and to wait because when the inspiration comes he will have insights that will make all the challenges worthwhile.
That is called living with המתקת הדין, sweetening the judgement.
ראצ"ק א"ב שמות כ"ה
The Noam Elimelech explains that the real task is to utilize the moments of inspiration to shine upon the times of difficulty. It is similar to someone who is studying Torah and he might toil on a particular topic for many hours. Sometimes it may take weeks until he understands. As he keeps plugging away he understands a tiny bit more at at a time, and frequently, because of his overall confusion, he doesn't even notice that bit. Eventually, when he has clarity, he realizes that it was all the little bits that contributed to his ultimate comprehension. All the toil becomes wortwhile in retrospect.
The same is true when a person is finding it challenging to engage in his relationship with Hashem. Long periods may pass and he may feel that he is not advancing whatsoever. He feels that he neither learns nor davens properly. Only after a lengthy period of time does he begin to see that every little bit that he does adds up. At that point, all the frustration he had been feeling turns into a feeling of success. Even when he isn't finding any inspiration or silver linings, he can know to be patient and to wait because when the inspiration comes he will have insights that will make all the challenges worthwhile.
That is called living with המתקת הדין, sweetening the judgement.
ראצ"ק א"ב שמות כ"ה
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