Ask The Rabbi

G-ds Little Joke

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Topic: Depression

Name@Withheld from Beckville, Texas wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

Sometimes I feel like G-d put me down here as a joke. How can I fight this hopeless feeling?


Dear Name@Withheld,

G-d is totally Benevolent. When He creates something, it is always with a positive purpose in mind.

The Talmud states that although plants and animals were created en masse, the human being was created alone in order to teach us that each person as an individual is vital to the world. We are created "in the image of G-d," meaning that we have an infinite soul, a moral capacity, and free will. If you are challenged by life, you have also been given the power and strength to overcome the challenge.

Everyone has failures and sometimes feels hopeless. But we are also given the power to recoup our strength and to carry on. I suggest reading an excellent book by Dr. Abraham Twersky, called "Let Us Make Man."

It might help you to know that your feelings are not uncommon. All great people have struggled with the riddle of existence, and everyone feels down at times.


 
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