“When poisonous snakes attack the Jews in the desert, G-d instructs Moses to fashion a special healing instrument: a pole topped with the form of a snake… Those who had been afflicted by the snake bite would gaze on the serpentine image on the pole and be cured.

Why ask people to look up at a man-made snake?…

The snake is…a metaphor for all of the ‘snakes’ in our lives [such as a toxic relationship, overpowering anxiety, etc.].

…The key to healing is not by fleeing the cause of the suffering, but by gazing at it… Because deep inside the pain, you will find the healing light. [Will I choose to let a difficult situation] throw me into despair [or will I view it] the way G-d sees these very same realities… Within every crisis lies the possibility of a new and deeper discovery.

When faced with a ‘snake’, with a challenge, many people look to their right or to their left. Either they fight, or they cave in. But there is another path: look upwards. See the ‘snake’ from the perspective above.

It’s the same idea taught by Moses: The source of the affliction itself becomes the remedy. This is true in all areas of life. As viewed by the Creator, from the perspective above, transgression is the potential for a new self-discovery; failure is the potential for deeper success.”