Torah Illuminating Loving Suffering

במדרש אין מפסיקין בקללות מוסר ה' כו' אל תמאס לא לרעתך נתתי לפניכם ברכות וקללות אלא להודיעך איזה דרך טובה

In the Midrash it is taught that one does not interrupt in the midst of the curses, as it says, "My son, do not despise the chastisement of Hashem" (Mishlei 3:11) — it is not for your harm that I have set before you blessings and curses, but rather to make known to you which is the good path.

The Midrash, citing the pasuk in Mishlei, explains that the curses in the Torah are not meant to harm Bnei Yisrael but to direct them toward the good path; therefore the reading of the tochachah is not interrupted.

דכתי' אשרי הגבר אשר תיסרנו י' ומתורתך תלמדנו

For it is written, "Fortunate is the man whom You chasten, Hashem, and from Your Torah You teach him" (Tehillim 94:12).

The Sfas Emes brings a pasuk from Tehillim linking Hashem's chastisement directly to learning Torah from it.

שהיסורים לבנ"י הם עצמם תורה ולימוד ואחז"ל יסורים שאין בהם ביטול תורה ותפלה הם יסורים של אהבה

This teaches that the sufferings that come upon Bnei Yisrael are themselves Torah and learning, and Chazal taught that sufferings which contain no nullification of Torah and tefillah are sufferings of love.

Suffering itself can become a vehicle of Torah and learning; Chazal's category of "sufferings of love" are those that do not cause one to neglect Torah and tefillah.

היינו שימצא האדם תורה ולימוד מתוך היסורים וגם לבא לתפלה בכח היסורים

That is to say, that a person should find Torah and learning out of the very midst of his sufferings, and also come to tefillah through the power of those sufferings.

The avodah is to draw Torah-learning and the strength to daven out of the suffering itself, rather than being broken by it.

אנכי נותן לפניכם אנכי הוא התורה וכל העוסק בתורה לשמה אורייתא מודיעת לי' חובא

"I set before you" (Devarim 11:26) — "I" (Anochi) is the Torah, and whoever toils in Torah for its own sake, the Torah itself makes known to him where his sin lies.

Since "Anochi" alludes to the Torah, one who learns Torah lishmah will have the Torah reveal to him his own failings.

וכן הוא בכלל בנ"י

And so it is with Bnei Yisrael as a whole.

This principle applies not only to individuals but to the whole of Bnei Yisrael collectively.

כי הרשעים טח מראות עיניהם

For with regard to the resha'im, their eyes are sealed shut from seeing.

The resha'im, by contrast, have their vision blocked.

ואין יכולין לראות האמת

And they are unable to perceive the truth.

Because of this they cannot see the truth of things.

ובנ"י התורה מאיר עיניהם ומגלה להם דרך הטוב ודרך הרע לידע ליזהר מהם

But for Bnei Yisrael the Torah illuminates their eyes and reveals to them the good path and the path of evil, so that they may know to be on guard against them.

Torah gives Bnei Yisrael clear sight to recognize both the good path and the path of evil, so they can keep away from what is harmful.

וצריך איש ישראל להיות שמח ביסורים שבאין בכח התורה

And a Jew must be joyful amid the sufferings that come through the power of the Torah.

Therefore a Jew should actually rejoice in suffering, since it flows from and accompanies the power of the Torah.

ובאמת כפי עסק התורה כך רואה האדם בכל יום התנהגות הבורא ית' שמו עמו בפרט

And in truth, according to a person's toil in Torah, so does he perceive each and every day how the Creator, may His Name be blessed, conducts Himself with him in particular.

The more one toils in Torah, the more clearly he perceives Hashem's personal hashgachah guiding his daily life.

ובכל חטא נענש מיד ומבין לתקן מעשיו:

And with every sin he is punished immediately, and he comes to understand how to set his deeds aright.

Such a person is corrected immediately for any sin, which leads him to fix his ways.

Summary: Building on the Midrash that the curses of the tochachah are given for Bnei Yisrael's benefit and not their harm, the Sfas Emes explains that suffering itself can become Torah and learning. Citing the pasuk "Fortunate is the man whom You chasten, Hashem, and from Your Torah You teach him," he identifies the "sufferings of love" as those that draw a person deeper into Torah and tefillah rather than away from them. Because "Anochi" alludes to the Torah, one who learns lishmah will have the Torah itself reveal his sins, while the resha'im, whose eyes are sealed, cannot perceive the truth. Torah thus illuminates the eyes of Bnei Yisrael to recognize the good path and the path of evil. The more a person toils in Torah, the more he perceives Hashem's personal hashgachah, is corrected immediately for every sin, and is led to set his deeds aright — which is why he can rejoice even in his sufferings.