When a person remembers his essential Jewishness and his inner connection to God, he does not fall into despair. Sometimes God “hides His face” and man is drawn toward hopelessness, but this is only a way of testing the essential core of his Jewishness.

The main test is for there always to remain a point of Jewishness that can be held onto in times of failure. When Moses our teacher said, “Whoever is for the Lord, to me” (Exodus 32:26), the tribe of Levi gathered around him. Surely there were also great people among the rest of the children of Israel. But they had fallen into despair when they saw how concealed the Divine Presence was. All of this was so that they would overcome divine concealment. (Rabbi Avraham Mordekhai Alter, Imrei Emet, Behaalotekha)

Further reading: For more on challenges and their significance, see p. 197, 231.

There is a story about Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, who went out to the streets of the city on one of the nights of the Ten Days of Repentance, and saw a faint light shining from a dilapidated house. Rabbi Yisrael entered, and saw a cobbler sitting by a dwindling candle, striking a shoe energetically with his hammer.

Hopelessness is one of the clever strategies of the evil inclination that wants to lead a person astray and push him away, God forbid, from serving his Maker. (Rabbi Menaĥem Mendel Schneerson, Igrot Kodesh 12)

The theme of Pesah Sheni is that no situation is lost. It is always possible to repair and complete. Even someone who was impure or distant, and even [if it was] “for you,” namely, the impurity or distancing was willful, nevertheless he can correct it. (Rabbi Yosef Yitzĥak Schneersohn, HaYom Yom, 14 Iyar)

Concerning strengthening oneself so that a person will not become depressed because of his many flaws and the great destruction he caused through his actions, [Rabbi Naĥman] said: If you believe you can destroy, believe that you can repair. (Rabbi Naĥman of Breslov, Likutei Moharan 2:112)This trait [of humility], seeing oneself as the lowliest of men – even though it is an incomparably good trait…nevertheless one must exercise great caution that it does not cause terrible despair, which is worse than all. (Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain, Shem MiShmuel, Mo’adim, Sukkot)

The voice of God calls to him, in contrast: There are in fact ways [to return to God], and do not say “despair, hope is lost.” Despair is the product of laziness, and if you exert effort, you will find [your way]. (Rabbi Yaakov ben Shlomo Tavshonsky, Imrei Haskel 15)

Further reading: Read the story of King Hezekiah, who did not despair even when faced with a severe heavenly decree, in A Concise Guide to the Sages, p. 319.

Further reading: For more on repentance, see A Concise Guide to the Torah, p. 502; A Concise Guide to the Sages, p. 461.