Q: The common definition of courage is to feel fear regarding a certain action and to do it anyway. How can we access the fountain of courage within us?
A: Courage is the ability to emerge from all frameworks, to swim against the stream, and to think out of the box. Courage is to disagree with someone in the name of God’s truth. One of the reasons to learn Torah in depth is to attain courage. The Torah teaches the truth and the truth is generally not aligned with the current popular agenda. A person who speaks the truth needs courage. The essence of the power of Mashiach is that he speaks the truth. Mashiach is the leader, he speaks for the entire generation. The power of the speaker is that he speaks the truth even when it is not popular. This is a simple expression of the courage that we must get from the Torah. Courage is not only what we say, but the ability to lead people according to the truth of the Torah, even when that is not popular. The Lubavitcher Rebbe directed us to say unpopular things “in a manner that can be accepted.” We have to speak the truth in a manner that will enter the ears and minds of the listener.
