GRIEF
Dr. Miriam Adahan
Up in Heaven, the students were all seriously studying Martyrdom - SURVIVAL SKILLS ON PLANET EARTH one of the most popular classes in the Yeshiva Shel Mala. The room was quite crowded, and there was a long waiting list to get in to prepare for their mission to help the Jewish people, which again was in terrible straits. The Chief Rabbi was showing a live broadcast of events live from Israel and the students were quite shocked.
The Rabbi wrote Survival Skill #1 on the blackboard: REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE SPIRIT, NOT MATTER. He stroked his beard as he tried to explain this concept. “On earth, a strange thing happens; most people confuse the ikar (essential) with the tafel (transient) - i.e., what is most important is ignored almost completely and what we know as unimportant becomes the most consuming interest. Now, we all know that all that truly counts is the spirit and that the body is like a piece of clothing worn once and then discarded. But down there, people get all caught up in the body. Oy gevalt, the amount of time and anguish wasted on physical matters - the amount and placement of hair, fat and muscles, for example.”
The students giggled in surprise. “Also, extremely important to earthlings,” he went on, ignoring their giggles, “is the taste and the looks of foods. Some people go into a rage if there isn’t enough variety or the parsley isn’t placed properly on top of the salad.” The students, being sustained by Divine Love, had difficulty understanding what this was all about, but they tried to grasp the concept.
“The second problem is relationships. Oy, gevalt, what they do to each other! They don’t seem to grasp that love is the only lasting emotion. They get all caught up in jealousies, resentments, feelings of superiority and inferiority because they have no sense that each person is an extension of another. Oy, gevalt, the fighting! Very sad. They kill, slander and main each other with words and weapons.
Take this Adahan lady. Oy, gevalt, we had a difficult time with her. She was a really hard nut to crack. Show that film clip, he called out to the technician. See, here she is, very depressed. All the doors have been closed in terms of relationships because the Boss wanted her only for Himself, wanting to force her to see the truth. But she spent many years being awfully upset about that, not realizing what a great gift was being bestowed on her. Now, watch what happens....
See, there she is, going to sleep. A tehillim book is by her bed. She’s in one of those “It’s-useless-and-we’re-all-going-to-be-slaughtered” moods of hers. Let’s see if she reaches out for the book.” The students look intently at the film clip. She doesn’t want to say the tehillim....but suddenly, she reaches out, more out of obligation than desire and starts reading the ones the rabbis have suggested.... There she is...it’s becoming interesting.... Notice the look on her face. She’s going from despair to interest to concern....
Hashem blows a kiss her way and she feels a deep sense of comfort and peace. Suddenly, words which were never meaningful to her before become profoundly comforting. The students cheer! HOORAY! She got it!!!!
Suddenly, Hashem Himself appeared in the room and called out the names of the students who had been chosen for this particular mission: Didovsky, Lieberman, Kahane, Gilmore, Gilles.... It was a long list....
He gathered the group together and spoke softly to each one in turn.