Sephardi selihot starts with Ashrei (Psalm 145) followed by Ben Adam, a short piyut calling on man to rise from their spiritual slumber and seek forgiveness. Immediately after Ben Adam selihot continues with a very poignant question, “How can we complain?”
It’s a good question.
In Rav Arush’s book, the Garden of Gratitude, he writes about the severe spiritual ramifications of whining and complaining.
Whining is a denial that everything comes from Hashem and that everything Hashem does is good.
Further he states;
…whining is tantamount to heresy, and consequently invokes the harshest judgments and endless punishments…
So, what should one do when faced with troubles and tribulations?
Rav Arush very strongly advises to thank God for them and provides three solid reasons:
- Gratitude invokes Divine compassion.
- Gratitude leads to salvation based the gemara that a person is lead down the path he chooses to follow. If the situation is viewed as good then the reality of the situation becomes good.
- One who gives thanks for the good and seemingly bad actively fulfills the goal of all creation.
With all the above in mind — how can we complain?
Yitzhak Sasson 