This week's Torah portion, Ki Tavo, is one of the few places in Torah where the Jewish People are told of "curses" that will befall us if we don't keep the Torah & Mitzvot that G-d Commands us. It ain't pretty folks. But Jewish Mysticism teaches, that Torah contains layer upon layer of meaning. And that in this case, these are not curses at all, but rather blessings in disguise, for "no evil ever descends from above." It may appear to be a curse, but it's really a great blessing.
There's a famous story brought down in the Talmud (Berachot 60b) that involves the great Rabbi Akiva. One afternoon, he was traveling on the road, and the sun began to set. He entered a nearby town and searched for a house to stay the night. One by one, he was refused! But Rabbi Akiva's mood was not shaken. "Kol ma she'asah Hakadosh Baruch Hu, l'tovah oseh - All that G-d does, He does for the good," he said. So Rabbi Akiva left the city walls and found a place in the nearby field to sleep. He had with him, as per usual, his donkey, his rooster (which would crow & awaken him at midnight for his special prayers of lamentation), and his lamp (which he would light in order to learn). As night fell upon him, Rabbi Akiva lit his lamp and began to learn. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he heard a loud noise as a lion came and pounced on his donkey, killing it and dragging it away! Shaken, Rabbi Akiva barely had a minute to recover, when a cat came and dragged his rooster away. If that wasn't enough, a strong gust of wind followed shortly thereafter, blowing out his flame and leaving him in total darkness. Rabbi Akiva smiled & said: "All that G-d does, He does for the good."
The next morning, upon awakening, Rabbi Akiva walked to the town and saw a startling scene. It was clear that the night before, the town had been ransacked by a hoard of bandits! The whole place was pillaged and destroyed! If he had slept there the night before, he would have been attacked. And if his donkey or rooster hadn't been eaten, or his light not extinguished, the bandits would have surely noticed him & captured him.
There is always good hidden in the "bad" things that happen in life. Most of us are not as lucky as Rabbi Akiva to be able to see the fruit that blossoms from the bad event. But it's there. Ultimately, we can & should ask G-d that all that happens to us should be revealed good, and trust that it will be so. Not merely good that's hidden within bad. That's called bitachon - trust. Emunah - faith, is believing that after the fact, even the apparent bad was really for the best. That there's a good reason behind it, and that good will sprout forth from it.
May we only see good, and merit to see the ultimate goodness with the coming of Mashiach, when all the bad that has happened to us & all of our people throughout history, will be shown to somehow have been all for the best.
Shabbat Shalom!
-Daniel
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