How do I know if God exists? If He does, then why should I believe that He loves me or is concerned about me? If God loved me, then why would my life be so difficult? If He loves me, then why does He not make this love obvious? What kind of love is it that is unseen and disputable? If He truly loves me, then why can I even question the existence of His love?

To these questions, the mystics have offered a variety of answers, but their first response is empathy. This empathy comes with the awareness and the admission that life is not easy and its challenges are many. The questions are not only valid, they are not only normal, but they are healthy and even holy.

The tears that all of us have shed in our moments of loneliness and uncertainty are sacred tears. They are not signs of our weakness, but of our humanity. Being human means being lost. Being in this world of concealment means being uncertain, as we seem to be separated from our source and our truth. The greater our feeling of distance from God, the greater is our yearning for Him, and the greater will be our efforts to find and reunite with Him. So the questions and doubts are not only understandable, but they are productive.

Don’t fear your doubts and questions. Don’t be ashamed of them. Don’t abandon them. Face them. Embrace them. Engage them and allow them to fuel you in your pursuit of truth. It is only those who stop asking and stop looking who will certainly never find what they are after.

Pnei Hashem, p.102