BS’D
Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated l’iluy nishmat Barbara Shenkin, Brina Mariasa Bas Gita Faiga, a’h. May her neshama bask in the Divine radiance among all of the righteous who have departed from this world, Amen.
Our memory is a powerful resource. We use our memory to store information, images and it is greatly affected by what we see and experience. Images placed in the brain may cause the muscle to expand or decrease in size. They can act for the good and for the bad. Harmful images can invade one’s mind and cloud our ability to think clearly and remember. Emotions such as jealousy, arrogance and anger can detrimentally affect people’s memory because the rational, left-side of the brain is denied oxygen while the right, emotional side of the brain is being flooded.
Though it may seem counter-intuitive, there are many positive sides to forgetfulness. Rebbe Nachman ztk’l teaches that forgetfulness is a gift from Hashem. Forgetfulness allows us to live in this world without being overwhelmed by the pain of our negative experiences. Forgetfulness also enables us to clear out our minds, letting go of our cluttered thoughts and clearing a vital space in our minds necessary for receiving, absorbing and retaining Torah teachings.
It is reassuring to remember (!) that even if we fail to retain what we learn, Chazal teach us that all the Torah a person has learned will be rediscovered in the World to Come. Thus, we do not permanently lose our positive experiences and Torah study. Rather, we may just have to wait patiently for them to come back to us in the World to Come.
