The 12th and 13th of Tammuz celebrate Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn's redemption from Soviet exile. But why does good often come only after hardship? Could G‑d not have caused all the benefits resulting from the Rebbe’s liberation, without a painful and restrictive imprisonment?
The verse states, “He crouches, lies down like a lion; who will rouse him?” The Baal Shem Tov explains that in order to spring forward and catch its prey, a lion must first crouch down. Similarly, “a Tzaddik falls seven times, but rises.”
A Tzaddik, when he helps someone in need, often “descends into the trench to lift him up.” In turn, the Tzaddik himself rises even higher than before.
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