Dvar Torah for Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim

Based on Likutey MoHaran I, Lesson 165

"V'ahavta l'reiakha kamokha; Ani Hashem" (Love your neighbor as [you love] yourself; I am God)."
(Leviticus 19:18)

The explanation of this verse is as follows:

Accept with love all the troubles and suffering that come your way. Why? For it is fitting for you to know that with the way you behave, after all the suffering and troubles that you have, He is still acting compassionately towards you. In light of what you've done you really deserve much, much worse, God forbid.

Thus we have to understand the verse as meaning not only "love ReiAKHa (your neighbor)," but also "love RaAKHa (your bad), namely the troubles and suffering you endure. You should accept them with love because
"kamokha" (as yourself, the way you are)—despite the way you behave;
"I am Hashem"—the Lord of Compassion; I am acting towards you with compassion.

(Likutey MoHaran I, Lesson 165)

Often times one hears from people, who are suffering tremendously questions of the sort, "Am I such a bad person?" Of course, the answer is "no," the individual is not so rotten or despicable. However, for our own sakes - may we never be tested - it pays to be bear in mind that many great tzaddikim (saints) have suffered. For example, the following tzaddikim all lost children: King David, Rebbe Yochanan (of the Talmud) and Rebbe Nachman. In fact, Rebbe Yochanan lost TEN children. It is impossible to draw any correlation between suffering and one's level of righteousness, perceived or genuine.

Here is part of Reb Noson's prayer based on this lesson:

Ribono shel Olam/Master of the World, Who is full of compassion, Good, Who does good to all. Help me to accept everything with love. Even on those occasions when Your compassion dictates that I must suffer, when I must live through things that seem so awful, God forbid, help me to truly accept them with love.

Open my heart with holiness so that I may genuinely understand that because I am who I am, because of how I have acted against you, all that You do to me is an expression of infinite love and kindness.

For it is impossible to tell of all of the kindness and favors that You have done and are doing for me at every moment of every day. It is certainly impossible to tell of the future kindnesses that are in store for me! What can I possibly say? "How can I pay God back for all the kindness He has done for me?" (Psalms 116:12) But what can I do? My sins have ruined my heart's ability to appreciate and my mind's capacity for understanding how great Your love for me is. What's worse - they cause me to think badly of You.

And so I ask of You: Mercy! Protect me and rescue me from having a crooked heart. Strengthen my heart with faith in You, to know and believe—no matter what!—that You are right, that Your judgements are true; and You act towards me in a way better than I deserve.

With Your awesome compassion and kindness have pity on me and protect from every sort of suffering. Because you are so forgiving, rescue me from all troubles.

The weight of my sins is such that even all the suffering in the world wouldn't be enough to atone even for even the slightest of them. So I'm begging You - have pity on me before I'm judged and forgive me without my having to suffer whatsoever!

Yes, dear God, I'm asking You to treat me better than I deserve. And if I must suffer, help me to bear that suffering without bitterness or complaint against You. I'm so weak. You must give me the strength and awareness to live through the pain. Help me in my pain, help me to remember that You make me suffer "as a father reproves his child," with love.

(Likutey Tefilos I, 121)

agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!