Shalom and thank you for turning to us. You bring up some very tough issues indeed and our sympathy is with you! You want to know whether or not one or more of your family members could be possessed by evil spirits? Torah scholars say that today this does not take place, although once upon a time it did occur. With all the trials and tribulations you describe, as well as what takes place in the world today, who needs evil spirits as well? There is however, a common denominator between evil spirits and all sorts of other trials and tribulations, and that is – they hold us back from from doing good in the world, and from fulfilling our Divinely ordained missions in life.
We all have different missions in life. For one person, it might be to become wealthy, or even inherit wealth, and make the choice to donate large sums to the building of hospitals or other important causes. This may seem easy but it isn’t. Wealth is a big test, as the Sages of the Talmud teach us that a person does not pass on to the next world with half of his desires fulfilled. This does not mean that G-d is nasty and doesn’t give us what we need, it means that human nature is such that whatever we have, we tend to want more, which is why wealth is such a test.
For another person, the mission might involve working consistently towards a certain goal and not giving up. From the outside it may seem like that person has no special difficulties- but in reality being consistent is this person’s life project, and for him or her – it is a great challenge. For many people today the mission is to find emotional stability in a world of varied influences that cause the deterioration of the family unit and a serious lack of clarity about life goals.
Jewish belief is that we are here to provide a ‘dwelling place’ for G-d as the Talmud teaches. We also believe that G-d is everywhere all the time. This may seem like a contradiction, but the book of Tanya, a basic text of Chassidic teaching, explains that there are different levels of revelation of G-dliness in the world. The evil that exists is also from G-d but it is compared to something that is given away ever so reluctantly by throwing it behind one’s back without looking at the recipient. G-d allows evil in the world only in order for us to overcome it – and we are here to try! We are here for the struggle!
The tools for these efforts are the six hundred and thirteen commandments of the Torah for Jews, and Seven Noahide Laws for non-Jews. Not all of the commandments are relevant to all of us all of the time, but in Pirkei Avot 1:6 it says “make for yourself a Rabbi and acquire for yourself a friend…” and that is the tool for navigating life. Why ‘make’ for yourself rather than ‘take’ for yourself? It is an effort – especially in the digital era with ready-made answers online – to accept on ourselves a relationship that involves being open to receiving guidance. This however is what will help us to do the best we can!
When we do this we are strengthening our trust in G-d as well, and enabling ourselves to deal better with our challenges.
Praying sincerely to G-d to help us navigate life’s issues successfully is the best way to start! Placing our trust in G-d to guide us and believing that He will, are additional tools. Studying Torah and Chassidut nourish our souls so that we can be attuned to spirituality and be able to cope with the material world. Of course it is sometimes helpful to get psychological counseling as well.
Last but not least we would recommend that you take your Tefillin as well as the Mezuzot from your current home and any other property you own (if there is,) to a certified checker. Your can ask your nearest Chabad Rabbi to refer you to someone appropriate. The condition of the Tefillin and Mezuzot are interconnected with what goes on in our lives, and there are many many stories of people’s lives taking asignificant turn for the better once Mezuzot and Tefillin were checked!
In short, we wish you much success in turning over your challenges to become blessings!!
