The point he is missing is the very purpose of life. Hashem put us on this planet to grow. Many of the challenges and situations are given to us specifically for that reason. It isn’t by accident, and it isn’t because Hashem doesn’t pay attention. Quite the opposite, these situations were hand-designed to demand from us. They are catalysts to change who we are.
In weight training, the movement of the bar isn’t the significant part; the demand on the body is. So too in life, the situations I face are far less significant than my reactions to them. Who I become is a result of my attitude and the way I handle my challenges.
When a person understands this perspective, life itself makes sense. If not, the situations in life seem arbitrary and unfair.
The answer to the Daas Zakainim seems to be that this mashol defines our path in life. The road we are being asked to take isn’t easy. It isn’t laden with roses and doesn’t smell like lilacs. It has thorns. A life properly led will have moments of doubt, pain, and confusion. That doesn’t mean we are on the wrong path. Quite the opposite – if life is going too smoothly, it’s a bad sign. Since the purpose of life is to grow, we need the challenges of life to help us reach our potential. If the road is too level, that is likely a sign we have chosen the wrong path.
Hashem wants us to enjoy our stay on this planet, but there is a plan and a purpose to it all. If a person lives his life in accordance with the Torah, he finds deep satisfaction, an inner sense of peace and tranquility, and true simcha. But it isn’t a walk in the park. There is much work along the way. There are trials, travails, and circumstances that demand growth. If a person responds appropriately, he finds a sense of inner peace because he is in synch with his purpose in life.
That sense of balance is an indicator that he is on the right path, and the work he puts in on that path will bring him to true joy, happiness, and elation in this world, and much more so in the World to Come.
To view Rabbi Shafier’s parsha video click here.