Picture two women on the same Erev Shabbos. Both have a full house, a kitchen that isn’t ready and a child with a fever. One feels like the walls are closing in. Everything is too much, and somewhere underneath it all is the feeling that nobody, not even Hashem, is on her side. The other is just as tired. But beneath the rush she feels held, as though even this hectic Friday is part of a life that is being lovingly guided.

Their circumstances are almost identical. Their worlds are not. Torah-based emotional growth takes this difference very seriously, because so much of how we live is shaped by what happens inside us.

Gan Eden and Its Opposite Begin Inside

The inner teachings of Torah and chassidus reveal a striking idea: both heaven and hell can be found within a person, here and now. A woman can live with what Chava calls a “heavenly mindset,” or, chas v’shalom, its painful opposite. This doesn’t take away from our belief in Olam Haba, the World to Come, which is real and eternal. It means that its light can already be tasted in this world, and its absence already felt.

Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch writes that Hashem gave us the Torah and its mitzvos so that His presence and blessing would dwell with us, allowing us to “taste the delight of Gan Eden in this world.” The Torah wasn’t given only to prepare us for somewhere else. It was given to bring blessing into ordinary days, into kitchens and carpools and Shabbos tables, too.

“It Is All for Your Good”

Rebbe Nachman teaches in Likutei Moharan (Torah 4) that when a person truly knows that everything that happens to her is for her good, whether it comes as judgment or as kindness, she experiences a glimpse of the World to Come. Through her connection to Hashem, she begins to sense that “everything is good and everything is one.”

Chazal give us a window into this. Today, on good news we say the bracha “HaTov VeHaMeitiv,” and on painful news “Dayan HaEmes.” But in the future, when “Hashem will be One and His name will be One” (Zecharia 14:9), the Gemara teaches that we will say only “HaTov VeHaMeitiv” (Pesachim 50a). We will see that even what hurt was part of the good. Every step we take toward that awareness now is a small taste of that future, today.

Blessing as Closeness, Curse as Distance

Moshe Rabbeinu told the people, “See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse” (Devarim 11:26). Chava teaches that in the Torah’s deepest sense, blessing is closeness to Hashem, and curse is distance from Him.

A well-known chassidic teaching explains the curse of the serpent this way: “Dust shall you eat” sounds almost like abundance, since dust is everywhere and the serpent never lacks food. But that is exactly the curse. With everything it needs always on hand, it will never need to turn to Hashem. Seen this way, even a life that lacks something can hold great blessing, if the lack draws us closer. And a comfortable life can feel empty, if it lets us drift away.

Accepting and Choosing

Much of our inner turmoil comes from resisting what is already here. The more we trust in Hashem’s goodness and His care for our neshama, the more that resistance can loosen. Two quiet strengths then grow side by side. The first is acceptance: making peace with what Hashem has decreed until this moment. The second is choice: using the free will He gave us to improve what we can, in ourselves and in the world around us.

Chazal teach that every person should say, “The world was created for me” (Sanhedrin 37a). Rebbe Nachman explains that this means each of us carries responsibility for our part of its tikkun. We are not passengers in our lives. Our inner state is part of what shapes the world we live in.

This Isn’t About Pretending

None of this asks a woman to paste on a smile. It is important to distinguish between the needs of the body and the needs of the soul. The physical side of us doesn’t always feel the good, and it is allowed to hurt. Real pain deserves real compassion. A heavenly mindset is not a denial of difficulty. It is a deeper place to stand while we go through it.

Often, the journey toward that place begins by gently honoring what hurts, and then, slowly, bringing Hashem’s light into it. This is something that can’t be rushed or forced. It grows, step by step, as a woman reconnects with the truth of who she is and Whose she is.

To read more about that truth, see our first article, What Is Torah-Based Emotional Growth?

Walking Toward the Light Together

For more than twenty years, Chava has been guiding women on this inner journey. Her Soul Therapy approach is rooted in emunah and in deep respect for every neshama. As a guide, she doesn’t hand out formulas. She walks beside a woman as she discovers, in her own life, how much of heaven can already be found here.

If this resonates, join our WhatsApp community for gentle thoughts and encouragement from Chava. For women who want to go deeper, the Chiburim course opens November 16: a guided journey of connection to yourself, to the people you love and to Hashem.

A gentle note: this article is for learning and inspiration, and it isn’t a substitute for professional help. If you are in crisis or in any danger, please reach out right away to your local emergency services or to a trusted professional.

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