Our theme for Chanukah 2017/5778 is “Final-ly Chanukah!” given that this year it falls over Finals Week at UAlbany. We’re doing a “Test-Menorah” decked out in Multiple-Choice, True and False, Essay Questions… and a student asked that each day have a short inspiration, a meaningful message. In that spirit we’re going to post 8 messages about life-tests, one for each night. Check back, we’ll keep adding to this as the holiday progresses.
(1) Chabad Maamarim (Chassidic discourses) point out that the Hebrew word for Test or Challenge is Nisayon which is closely related to the Hebrew word Nes (miracle) or Nes (flag or banner). That’s because overcoming challenges and dealing with tests can reveal inner strengths and hidden potential, it raises us higher, takes us to the next level, a higher plane. A life-test has the ability to uplift us, as a banner/flag flies high and as a miracle supersedes the ordinary laws of nature. Think of the Star-Spangled Banner, America’s anthem: The flag flying high despite great challenge (rockets red glare, bombs bursting in the air) is literally and figuratively uplifting!
(2) Each morning in the daily prayers we ask G-d, “Please do not test me (with temptation).” This may resonate with students facing a battery of exams, especially during crunch time or in a difficult class, but rings especially true, much more so, with those who face uphill battles and challenging situations in real-life. True, challenges and tests can bring out the best and deepest within us, and they may helps us rise to a higher level, but many times we’d rather do without. Yet, once we are dealt these challenges, once they face us as our reality, we have to take them on and give it our all to overcome even the most seemingly insurmountable difficulty.
(3) “G-d doesn’t make tyrannical and unreasonable demands of His creations.” This quote from the Talmud (Avodah Zara 3b) is the opening line of one of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe’s (1880-1950) Yiddish discourses written for newspaper publication. You can read it here in English on Chabad.org. It’s one of the earlier Maamorim (Chassidic discourses) I’ve studied back in my early teens, perhaps that’s why this line stick with me. Also, the original quote’s word for tyranny is Truniah, quite similar to the English, so maybe that’s what made it memorable. So what does this have to do with tests and challenges? If G-d presents us with a test, that means we have the powers and abilities to deal with it. G-d wouldn’t give us something we couldn’t handle. If it’s on our plate, it means we can deal with it. G-d gives us the powers and abilities and resources to do so. This doesn’t mean it will be easy, or pleasant or enjoyable, but it means we can do it, it is within our reach, it is possible.
(4) The end of Tanya 30 turns the tables on judging others, into re-evaluating our own personal investment, efforts and struggle level. We did a whole Torah-Tuesday class (charts and all) on this piece of Tanya. “Lishkol v’Livchon b’Atzmo!” insists the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad and author of the Tanya. Are we complacent? Have we plateaued? Are we doing enough, is it commensurate with where we could and should be? Are we stuck in our comfort zone? Are we putting in as much effort and struggle as we expect from others in more challenging situations than our own? This type of test is self-administered. More than a take-home test, which it is, this test is one you write yourself, and it is for yourself. The results may not count towards GPA but the results of such self-probing honesty could be much longer-lasting.
(5) “It’s only a test.” That knowledge and awareness can help us get through and overcome what may initially seem as an insurrmountable challenge. The Medrash describes some of the roadblocks and deterrents that Avraham & Yitzchak faced enroute to the Akeida: those huge challenges simply melted away in face of their unwavering & undeterred determination & persistence toward their goal. Of course, not all challenges will melt away if we face them down, but we should realize that many challenges can be altered with a paradigm shift or change of focus or emphasis. The end of the classic Maamar by the Rebbe Rashab “Vyadayta Moskve” is about how to see past or within our challenges to realize that they are only a test and not the true reality.
(6) A one-time intense but short challenge can not be compared to a sustained long-term consistent challenge. Regarding the famous three: Chananya, Mishael and Azarya, who chose certain death in a fiery furnace rather than publicly worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol (though they miraculously survived), the Talmud says that had they had to endure long-term suffering their response might have been different and perhaps these celebrated three might not have had the same level of sacrifice. You can’t compare a spurt or burst of test-readiness to ongoing consistent dedication. It gets harder if you have to keep it up longer-term. Think marathon vs. sprint.
(7) They often ask this type of question on job interviews: What’s your greatest shortcoming? What’s a difficult challenge you’ve faced? Usually, that question is followed up with something about you deal with it? What are ways you’ve handled it? There’s an old Jewish saying: “No one is as wise as someone with experience.” Having problems and shortcomings, tests or challenges won’t get you the job, but how you’ve actually dealt with issues (perfectly or not) is something they’re looking for, more than any theory learned in the classroom.