6026 – Strength Through the Struggle

With the help of Hashem. In the Holy Letters of the Rebbe, Volume 17, Letter 6,026. With the help of Hashem, the first day of Iyar, 5718, Brooklyn. Shalom u’Vrachah.

In response to your letter of the 23rd of Nissan:

It was a pleasure for me to read that for some time already you have been strengthening yourself through Hashem’s compassion and mercy. Hashem has shown you mercy, and you are growing stronger in Yiddishkeit.

Although you do not mention it explicitly in your letter, it is nevertheless my hope that you are studying the holy book of Tanya.

The Rebbe continues that a person should not become discouraged or negatively affected by the fact that in the meantime there have been rises and falls, successes and setbacks.

In other words, when a person struggles in spiritual matters, he may sometimes feel marked by those failures and begin to think, “I am not capable,” or “I will never succeed.”

The Rebbe teaches that such thoughts are mistaken.

The verse states, “U’leom mi’leom ye’ematz”—one nation will strengthen itself against the other. This refers to the inner battle within every person: the struggle between the Yetzer Tov and the Yetzer Hara.

There is always a contest taking place within a human being. Spiritual growth does not mean the absence of struggle. Often, the struggle itself is part of the growth.

The Rebbe directs him to look in the index printed at the end of Tanya, where he will find the places that discuss this theme in greater detail.

The Rebbe also refers to the teaching regarding tests and challenges that come to a person. A person is only given according to his strength.

That means that even when one faces difficulties, temptations, or inner battles that seem overwhelming, he has already been given the power to overcome them.

This, the Rebbe explains, is the meaning of the saying of our sages: “Lefum gamlah shichna”—according to the camel is the burden.

One does not place a heavy load upon a weak camel. If a person has been given a significant burden, it is because he possesses the strength necessary to carry it.

The challenge itself is evidence of the strength hidden within him.

The Rebbe adds that this idea is explained further in Midrash Rabbah on the verse that says, “Hashem is righteous.”

Why is Hashem called righteous? Because He examines each person truthfully and knows exactly what each soul can bear and what each soul can accomplish.

No human being can judge another fully, because only Hashem knows the true measure of a person’s powers, struggles, and potential.

The Rebbe then references a teaching in Gemara regarding bringing nachas ruach—pleasure and satisfaction Above—through one’s service.

When a person overcomes challenge and remains faithful despite struggle, he brings deep satisfaction before Hashem.

The Rebbe continues with an additional teaching from Chazal, emphasizing that spiritual truths should be felt as living realities and not as distant ideas.

He concludes by writing that at an auspicious time he will mention the student at the holy resting place of his father-in-law, the Rebbe, for everything that he needs, and especially for success in Torah study with yiras Shamayim.

The Rebbe adds that this is the main foundation in the life of a yeshivah student: study of Torah, both Nigleh and Chassidus, with reverence for Heaven.

He closes with blessings for good news, in the name of the Rebbe, through the Rebbe’s secretary.

This letter carries a powerful message: setbacks do not define a person. The struggle itself is proof of one’s strength, and every challenge comes with the ability to overcome it. With perseverance, Torah study, and trust in Hashem, one can rise continually higher.