Why is Despair So Compelling?

Earth Etude for Elul 5

by Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner

The Chasidic Rabbi Nachman of Braslav (1772-1810) was a lifelong sufferer of what was likely depression. When, towards the end of his life, he told his followers that “it is forbidden to despair” (Likutei Moharan II 78:7), it was because he understood the siren call of hopelessness.

What is so tempting about hopelessness? It’s the sense of certainty that comes with it. When things feel uncertain, it means we’re holding multiple possible futures that could range from terrible to wonderful. Carrying that wide an arc of possibility and the emotional responses that follow it can feel uncomfortable, exhausting, or even just unsettled. In some ways it is simplest to expect the worst.

Despair can be strangely comforting, but it takes a toll. When the climate crisis tips us into hopelessness, we abandon the experience of presence—of being in the world as it is—to jump into the future.

Rebbe Nachman didn’t want anyone else to slip down the path of despair, but he also didn’t advocate for hope as a forced or facile alternative. Instead, he taught awe as the antidote to despair. For Rebbe Nachman, awe was synonymous with experiencing the world as an “unearned gift” (Likutei Moharan II 78:6). Even when we are struggling, when our hearts are open enough to receive life as it is, teshuvah becomes possible: a return to what is sacred in the world and in ourselves.

Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner is a climate change chaplain, educator, and innovative spiritual leader. As founder of Exploring Apocalypse—a trauma-informed climate chaplaincy practice—she helps individuals and communities across faith traditions explore the spiritual disruptions, invitations, and reorientations of climate change.

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