Audio: (Live: 1:06:08)
https://soundcloud.com/michael-benmeleh/lighthouse-project-rabbi-avrohom-lipszyc-become-the-profiteer-of-your-own-sufferings-01-31-18
LiveFeed: (Live: 1:06:08)
https://www.facebook.com/TheLighthouseProjectMiami/videos/1785338961761421/
YouTube: (Live: 1:06:08)
https://youtu.be/sKyJ-nfyCu8
Written Class:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4n0ak3jdyo0ua12/13.%20Yisro%205778%20-Be%20the%20Profiteer%20of%20Your%20Suffering.pdf?dl=0
Profiteering is viewed as a negative act. The definition of profiteering is to, “make or seek to make an excessive or unfair profit, especially illegally or in a black market.” However, this is only concerning one profiteering from another person’s suffering. The absolutely positive, and even mandatory profiteering, is the profiteering we do from our own suffering.
It has been said that the reason Jewish people don’t drink is because it interferes with their suffering. Which leads us to our modern-day issue of this lecture. There is a perverse form of ‘righteousness’ that stops us from profiteering from our suffering, when in truth, from G-d’s POV, the only reason that we are suffering is for us to profiteer from the suffering!
Nevertheless, in our perverse understand of sin and punishment, we are afraid to profit at all, never mind, “excessive or unfair profit,” from this, “Illegal black market,” of G-d’s punishment upon us. Truth be said, the Talmud (-Kesubois 36b) itself rules that the law must be careful of, “Sheloh yehai choitah niskar -That the sinner should not profit.” However, there the focus is on the sinner not making selfish profit, which would lead him to believe that it is worthwhile sinning. What if we are speaking of a person who is willing to do Teshuvah (return; repentance), in realizing that all benefits are not for sole selfish purpose, but of serving G-d and his fellow man? As a matter-a-fact, in holiday prayers we state, “Because of our sins we have been exiled from our land and have been distanced from our land,” and in another teaching (-Talmud, Pesachim 87b) it states, “The Holy One, blessed be He, did not exile Israel among the nations save in order that proselytes might join them, for it is said: ‘And I will sow her unto Me in the land;’ surely a man sows a se’ah (a small measurement) in order to harvest many kor (a large measurement)!”
Yet, majority of people do not know how to profiteer from their own suffering, and with this the suffering becomes permanently real, for it serves no greater purpose for G-d and for G-d’s universe.
In this maamor of the Rebbe, based on the Jews purpose in exile, we will overcome our need for suffering for suffering’s purpose, and unleash G-d’s gift of potential within suffering.
