10 July 2026
Question
Just when I thought my life was finally coming together, I have had another major setback. I lost my job. It feels like I had only just started to get on top of things, and now I am back to writing resumes and chasing interviews.
I know everyone has challenges, and I know I am not perfect. But honestly, I can’t help wondering: am I really so bad that I deserve this? Is G-d punishing me? And if not, then why would He let this happen just when things seemed to be coming together?
I don’t want clichés. I am trying to understand how to face this without becoming bitter, and how to see this setback as anything other than life knocking me down again.
I am so sorry to hear that you lost your job. After all you have been through, to be hit with this news must be devastating.
I won’t tell you not to be upset. But I would gently challenge one word you used: setback.
It may feel like a setback. It may look like a setback. But we do not always know, in the moment, which way this is going. Faith means trusting that even when life looks like it is pushing us backwards, G-d may be moving us forwards. Don’t call it a setback. Call it a setup.
The prophet Jeremiah says, “It is a time of distress for Jacob, and from it he will be saved.” The Baal Shem Tov reads this literally: salvation comes from within the distress itself. If you are going through a difficult time, don’t just wish it away. Lean into it. Stare it in the face. Experience it fully. Because “from it he will be saved”. The blessing hides within the curse.
This challenge may reveal strengths that were never listed on your resume. It may push you to rethink what work really means to you, to discover skills you had underused, to accept help without shame, and to remember that your worth was never defined by your job title.
It isn’t easy. For now, take just one step. Send the application. Make the phone call. Say the prayer. And use your time to do good for others.
Your challenges are your strength emerging. It’s not a setback. It’s setting you up for your next chapter. You are not being punished. You are being invited to go deeper and become better. And that, in the end, is your true job.
