Tazria!

תזריע מ"א

“There’s nothing better than Oneg and there’s nothing worse than Nega.”(Sefer Yetzira)

The translation of the word Nega (Blemish) is translated as “closed in.” It means that you feel your possibilities have been exhausted. You feel far from Hashem and you have given up on who you can be.

A Nega comes as a result of your actions. It demonstrates that it is not a coincidence that you are far away from Hashem. You have chosen to be far away.

Oneg refers to Shabbos. On Shabbos, you feel close to Hashem in the strongest way. The only thing you want is what Hashem wants. It is called the Day of the Neshama (and therefore we say the prayer Nishmas Kol Chay) because the desires of the body are totally negated. The desires of the soul, of who you really are, are felt in the strongest way. On Shabbos you aren’t far at all, you are so close.

But the word Oneg is the same letters as the word Nega. Why? To show us that in a moment Hashem can change everything. You can be at the bottom of the world and can suddenly be at the top. The same letters are Oneg and Nega to teach us that they are not so far from each other. Even though they seem to be worlds apart, the distance is not as great as you would think…