Question:
Thank you Rabbi for your help.
I am once again asking for your help on a subject . Will HaShem take away the horror out of our minds for everything that has happen to us throughout history. For example, will HaShem make the Holocaust survivors forget their horror experiences and make them happy?
Answer:
Definitely so! In fact when the time of the geula comes, Hashem will console us for all the suffering that happened as a result of the golus. The Navi (Jeremiah 31-12) says “I will turn around their mourning into joy, and I will comfort them.” All the suffering that was endured during the holocaust, and at any other time, will be turned around into joy. Here are a few examples of this.
I once heard an interesting idea from Rav Shimon Heller shlit”a. the Malbim on the above verse says that according to the pain that the person suffered during the golus, that will be the amount of repaid joy that the person will merit when the redemption comes, and he more they will remember the pain the more joy the person will have!
The Gemora Pesachim 68 says that when the resurrection of the dead will take place we will be resurrected the same way we died, a lame person without his foot, a blind person blind, and then Hashem will heal the lame and blind person. The question is asked, why will Hashem do it this way, if He is already recreating him, why not just make him better from the beginning? The answer is, that when the time of consolation will come, Hashem will first recreate the person according to the negative circumstances that the person had, in order to make a statement. “I know the suffering that you endured during the galus, and I will make up for it”. It says, “then the lame will jump”, not only will he have legs like everyone else, but they will be super legs, because of the suffering that he endured. The same will be for the blind, the deaf, and the sick.
Another example.
Iyov had tremendous suffering, to the degree that we can’t imagine, he lost his wealth, possessions, even his precious children. After the difficult period passed, Hashem repaid Iyov and gave him back his wealth, but not only the amount that he had, he was given double the wealth that he originally had. The question is what about his precious children, that he lost, there is no such thing as repaying a child, it is pain in the parent’s hearts, and how can that be comforted? Says the Ramban (at the very end of Iyov), that it is interesting, that Iyov was repaid double the fortune, however regarding his children they were the same amount as he originally had, just double as nice. Says the Ramban, the reason for this is because Hashem sent Iyov back the same children that He took away from him!! However, this time they were double as nice!
Our job is to keep our faith strong, and let Hashem do the driving. Right now we don’t understand, but we know that whatever we see in this world, right now is by far not the end of the story. There is much, much more to come, and Hashem has much reward waiting for us, and this is what makes us so fortunate!
Best wishes
