Free Republic

The Baal Shem Tov once said that he was capable of rising to heaven in a fiery chariot as did Elijah, but he would rather undergo the transformation of “…and to the earth you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) Because through the initial dip downward—as far down as you could possibly go—you can reach much higher. So if it seems to you at times that your life has made a sharp turn downward, or that the world around you has taken a great leap backward, Know that this is only a necessary prelude to a great spring forward and upward yet...