Towards the end of the Torah portion of Noach, we are introduced to Avraham, the first of the patriarchs. When we first meet him, Avraham Avinu, our father, was the only person in the entire world who believed in the one true God. Everyone else was busy worshiping idols of clay and stone, worshiping stars and trees, and nature. Only Avraham believed in Hashem.
Because of his belief, he was ridiculed, persecuted, hounded, harassed, attacked, and bullied. He endured tremendous pressure to give up his beliefs. In fact, everyone around him called an atheist because he didn’t believe in idols!
Reb Nosson tells us something about this bizarre accusation. This lie, that the one person who believed in Hashem was an atheist, could only come from the “chamber of exchanges”, the realm in where good and evil are mixed up.
Very often we see that people say that something is good when we know (or at least are fairly certain) it’s against Hashem and His Torah. We know that it’s not only not good, we know that it’s bad.
Good and evil are still mixed up today.
In Likutey Moharan 245, Rebbe Nachman teaches that “There are chambers upon chambers of Torah, each leading to more and more chambers. In each chamber one can gather precious and delightful treasures and wonders. But one must take extreme care not to be fooled, for it’s not easy for one to attain these treasures. Many insights [that are beautiful and that we think are genuine Torah] don’t come from these chambers, but instead from the Chamber of Exchanges.”
You might be attacked for believing in the straight and true words of the Torah. You might be accused of being a “fanatic” or a fool for sticking to the teachings of the true Tzaddikim. You might be mocked or even disdained for being politically incorrect and believing in the one true God. Don’t let the bullies get you down. Sometimes it seems that everyone else is so sure of themselves, that they must be right, because all you have is your emunah. Don’t give in and don’t give up! You can do it. You can remain strong because you are the great, great, great grandchild of Avraham Avinu. You have it in you to believe in Hashem and follow His Torah.
May you have a day of wonder and faith because you are the grandchild of Avraham Avinu!