Taking On the Pain of Others

The Zohar explains that the only way we can help others is by taking upon ourselves a little bit of their pain and difficulty. Very often we have a true desire to help our children, friends, spouses, and students, and so we teach them, or advise them, or give to them in some form. However, to ensure that our assistance actually makes a difference, we need to decide how much pain we are willing to go through in order to help that person.

Because, as the Zohar teaches, we cannot truly help another unless we make ourselves uncomfortable.

For those of us who are truly interested in the perfection and correction of our world, when was the last time we made ourselves terribly uncomfortable in order to assist another person? When was the last time we took upon ourselves somebody else’s pain in a way that made us uncomfortable; in a way that hurt us? We’re not expected to become martyrs. But if we do want to be part of the correction of our world, then there must be an element of sacrifice to our sharing.

If we are not willing to break ourselves a little bit in order to help another person, then we cannot truly help another person. To be assisting when it is comfortable, to be teaching when it is easy, that does something, yes. But it cannot bring us to the ultimate correction. The only path, the only way that we can be a part of that correction of our world is to the degree that we are willing to be uncomfortable, to the degree that we are willing to take upon ourselves an element of pain to assist other people.

Don’t think about all the great things you can do to help other people, don’t think about all the great things you can do to reveal Light in this world. Those are nice thoughts, but they are not a tremendous part of this global correction. Instead, look for times when you can put yourself in an uncomfortable situation in order to help another person.

These are the times that will bring us to the ultimate correction.