"I had a restless night, my misgivings and anxiety about the future did not allow me to sleep, and I woke up quite upset." Pressburg Under Siege, p. 45.
Who wrote these words? The Holy Chasam Sofer of Frankfurt wrote them. So just when you might have been hard on yourself for experiencing anxiety or a sleepless night, questioning your faith, know that even a holy tzadick like the Chasam Sofer could have such feelings too. Of course, he was worrying about the invading army of Napoleon. Maybe some of our worries are over more trivial matters. But we see that even the greats could have anxiety.
Nearly thirty years ago, I drove a significant talmid chochom to a doctor's appointment. While I was driving him back home afterwards, I told me how the appointment had gone, explaining that the doctor had asked him if he was under any stress. "Who doesn't have stress in his life?" the talmid chochom replied...
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