“…Whatever will be too difficult for you, bring it before me and I will hear it” (Deut. 1:17)
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, a renowned psychiatrist, offers a penetrating insight into this verse. He cites the observation of R’ Yitzchak Meir of Gur that Moses doesn’t say to bring difficult issues to him and he will solve them. Rather, he says to bring the difficulties to him and he will listen. Sometimes, the most important thing we can do for someone else is to simply listen to them, empathize, and validate their concerns. People are not necessarily seeking for us to solve their problem – they just want to be heard.
When people are heard, they often discover the solution to their issue in the process of speaking about it to someone. King Solomon taught in Proverbs 12:25 that “if someone has a worry, let him relieve himself of it”. According to the Talmud (Yoma 75a) this means that if a person has a problem, they should relate to someone else, and that will bring relief.
