There is no life without struggle, no path without challenges—so explained Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto last night. Addressing the nature of the world and the way a person can truly progress, he emphasized that growth comes only through facing difficulties and overcoming obstacles. “Our holy sages say: ‘The dead are free.’ Only those who are no longer among the living are free from worries and struggles. Those who are alive face challenges, and those who struggle—are truly alive.”
Rabbi Pinto elaborated that every time a person overcomes a difficulty, they must be prepared for the next challenge, which will be even greater than the previous one. “You’ve finished dealing with one problem? Know that a new one is already on the way. Was the last challenge tough? The next one will be even tougher. Because the higher a person rises, the greater their struggles become.”
Accordingly, Rabbi Pinto stressed that those who seek a life of comfort without difficulties are not truly living. “Anyone who wants to be free of struggles and hardships simply cannot achieve anything. Only the dead are free.”
He explained that this is not a matter of luck or coincidence—it is a law of nature. “You’ve escaped one Egypt? Be prepared to enter another.” Every stage that a person completes leads them to a new, more significant, and complex challenge. But that, he pointed out, is the essence of growth, progress, and resilience—all built through overcoming adversity.
“Anyone who wants to grow, anyone who wants to achieve, must understand that life is a journey of battles and challenges, and this has been the case since the beginning of time,” he concluded.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel