A young man told me how deeply he had been hurt by a close family member, and how difficult it was for him to move on. He wished he could forgive and let it go, but it felt almost impossible. I told him that perhaps Hashem was giving him an opportunity to do something extremely difficult, and through that, to access an abundance of blessing waiting for him in Shamayim. We then opened the אור החיים in this week's parashah, Beshalach, on the pasuk " מה תצעק אלי ". There, he quotes from the זוהר הקדוש that when the Jewish people were trapped at the edge of the ים סוף , there was a מידת הדין upon them. They were considered unworthy of salvation because they too had been involved in idolatry like the Egyptians. The זוהר explains that to access the mercy needed to overcome מידת הדין , a person requires great merits. Since Hashem wanted the Jewish people to be saved, He gave them an opportunity to perform a heroic act. They were commanded by משה to march into the sea and rely on Hashem to split it. They would be entering the water until it reached their nostrils, placing their lives at risk. The great emunah and bitachon they demonstrated enabled them to overcome the דין and merit salvation. Similarly, the זוהר writes in parashat Vayera on the pasuk describing the destruction of Sedom, that " וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹקים אֶת אַבְרָהָם וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת לוֹט ". The זוהר explains that when Hashem has a special love for a person, He sends him a "present." What is this present? A poor and needy individual who requires help. If מידת הדין would come upon that person, the act of chesed he performs can provide the merit needed to overcome it. When Hashem was bringing דין upon Sedom, He first gave Avraham a present in the form of the three angels who appeared as ordinary guests. Through Avraham's extraordinary hospitality, Lot would later be saved. This is the meaning of "Hashem remembered Avraham"—He remembered the chesed Avraham did for his guests. The mefarshim point out that in both cases—the Jewish people at the ים סוף and Avraham Avinu—the opportunities Hashem gave were extremely difficult. Avraham was on the third day after his brit milah, in intense pain at age ninety-nine, on the hottest day, yet he ran to serve his guests like royalty. The Jewish people were asked to walk into a raging sea, relying purely on Hashem. These were not simple acts; they required going far beyond normal limits. Yet they were gifts from Hashem that brought salvation. A man once told a rabbi about a relative who had to care for a sick patient around the clock, and how overwhelming it had become. The rabbi immediately shared these words of the זוהר and said that apparently Hashem has a special love for this relative, and is giving him a great gift through this opportunity. When a person is given a very difficult task, it is often a sign of Hashem's great love, granting him a chance to earn enormous merit. Shabbat Shalom.