Think Good — It Will Be Good
Bitachon is a verb. It is the act of turning our minds to thoughts that reflect our trust in Hashem. Hashem has the Power to do anything! He can save us, heal us, sustain us - He can do it all, and He can do it now. Turning our minds to this truth doesn’t just bring us relief in the moment. It is the spiritual catalyst, the energizing force, that creates the goodness we want and need.
When unpleasant things happen, it is natural for our minds to wander into all kinds of unpleasantness. Never entertain such thoughts! They make things worse. Learn how to move away from these thoughts.
A million sticks cannot chase away the smallest amount of darkness. But even one tiny light dispels all the darkness. So too, with our angry, fearful, dark thoughts we cannot improve even one detail of the unpleasant situation. But with one moment in which we fill our minds with thoughts of trust in Hashem’s goodness, we improve the entire situation.
Easy work? Not at all. Possible? Absolutely. For each and every one of us.
Start now. For just this moment.
Think good. And it will be good.
Your Thoughts Make a Difference!
It is surprising that we talk and talk and when it comes to action - every individual thinks that this is talking about someone else and not him!
Many, many times we brought the saying - a directive of our Rabbeim - “Think good and it will be good.” These words mean that thought impacts reality. I
nstead, you are coming up with thoughts that are in the opposite direction, despite the fact that we are in the month of Adar, in which we are commanded to increase in joy; and you’re sitting in sadness, (see what it says in Tanya about this,) etc.
I will conclude with the words of our Rabbeim: Think good and it will be good - clearly and in a revealed way.
(Igros Kodesh Vol 20 / P. 195)
Joy hastens the healing
B”H, 1 Shevat, 5718
Greetings and Blessings!
I have received your letter ... in which you write about your present situation.
You have certainly heard of the saying of the Rebbe Maharash (the grandfather of the Previous Rebbe), "The world says that when you cannot go under [when you cannot proceed in the natural order,] you should go over, [proceed in the spiritual order,] but I say, that to begin with you should go over!"
The same is in this case. Even though it seems that to express visible joy, you have to wait until the situation of your health actually improves, there is room to say, as learned from the above mentioned expression, that you can be joyous before the improvement of your health, even though at the moment this [improved health] isn't a visible reality -- and doing this, in itself, will bring about the improvement sooner.
Doing this is in line with the expression that was taught a number of times by the Chabad Rebbeim, "Think good, and it will be good!" It is a simple fact, that when this [behavior of positive thinking] is brought into joyful speech or joyful action, and especially when this concerns such a respectable person whose pen is the pen of a writer, and who is able to influence many people about this, the reward for one who brings joy to another is known (Taanis, 22,1).
(Igros Kodesh, Vol 16, p. 252)
Negative thoughts are dangerous!
Don’t do it to yourself or to others. When you can’t think of anything good to fill your mind, fill your mind with Torah.
B"H, 27 Menachem Av, 5712
Greetings and Blessings!
This comes in response to your letter, from which it appears that I have not yet managed to raise your spirits.
I think I have already told you a few times that which is brought in seforim, and not necessarily only in Sifrei Chassidus: One should not initiate — and introduce into the world — depressing lines of thought. Vigilance in this area is a segula2 (spiritual assurance) that the [unpleasant] matter in question will not happen.
This is not a warning only against initiating such ideas in the realm of speech. (It is cited in sifrei Chassidus — and I think it is appended to Siddur Meah She’arim — concerning the Maggid of Mezritch, that whenever a sevara (line of reasoning) fell into his mind, he would articulate it in speech, in order to draw it down into this world.)
A depressing concept should not be initiated [not only your speech, but] even in your thought, for the reason stated above. This also follows naturally from the teaching of our Rebbeim of earlier generations that was handed down to us by my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe [Rayatz]: “Think positively, and things will be good.” [In the original Yiddish, Tracht gut, vet zain gut.]
It no doubt appears to you that it is very difficult to discipline your power of thought in the above direction. Hence, if you have no other option, [if you cannot bring your mind to think positively], you should invest your power of thought in a Torah concept. And this spiritual goodness will also generate physical goodness.
From all of the above it follows that the more you strengthen your trust in Hashem, the more your trust also impacts your thoughts, words and actions, the more that trust will materialize in actual, physical form, bringing you an abundance of parnossah, prosperity, physically and also spiritually [..].
(Igros Kodesh, Vol 6, P. 286-287)
A bitter mood creates a bitter reality…
Thank Hashem for the good and your good will become even better!
B”H, 10 Menachem Av, 5715
Greetings and Blessings!
In response to what you write about your work, that you have no enjoyment and that the work is hard, etc.
Contrary to logic, there are individuals who are convinced that they don't need to be pleased and happy with the way Hashem conducts the world in general, and their affairs, in particular, because [if they would be pleased,] it may be interpreted to mean that they are satisfied with whatever good they have, when in reality, as much as there is good, things could be even better. Therefore they [feel that they] need to constantly complain and bitterly bemoan their hardship, at every step and in every matter.
Clearly, this is the very opposite of the direction of our holy Torah, and especially [it is opposite from] what our Chazal teach us on the posuk ”הנשמה כל ה"י תהלל "- that for every neshima, breath of life, we must praise and thank Hashem. How much more [you must thank Hashem] when you are successful in your work…
In addition to all of the above, the holy Zohar rules that when we exhibit a sad appearance, this arouses chas veshalom a reflection of that appearance from On High, and it impacts the flow [of brochos] from Above. By contrast, when a person stands with joy and a satisfied spirit, regardless of his [unpleasant] circumstances, this in itself improves the situation, and from ‘good’ it becomes much better (see zohar ch.2, 184/2) [..].
(Igros Kodesh, Vol 11, P. 321)
It is well known that the best advice for being free of worries is to [cultivate] the quality of bitachon. This is explained in numerous works, including Chovos HaLevavos, Shaar HaBitachon. In fact, trust in Hashem is a direct result of the fundamentals of Bney Yisroel’s emuna, since all of Bney Yisroel are “believers, the descendants of believers.”
And this emuna means that Hashem Himself watches over every single person with hashgocha protis, and that He is the essence of good. In the language of Chazal: “All that the Merciful One does, He does for the good.”
If so, how is there any space for worrying? There isn’t. Only when one forgets the fundamentals of emuna – that’s when worry can arise.
In light of this, there should be no worrying about matters that are in the Hands of Heaven. And Chazal teach us that, “Everything is in the Hands of Heaven apart from the fear of Heaven.” In matters of Torah and mitzvos, therefore, a person should be concerned about how to improve his ways so that they will be aligned with the purpose for which he was created. In the words of the Mishnah,[3] “I was created to serve my Maker.”
15 Iyar, 5718 [1958]
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