QUESTION:
How can we know the difference between doubts that come from yiras shomayim (being afraid of Hashem) versus questions and self-plaguing thoughts that come from nerves?
ANSWER:
If the person ends up being happy in the end, then it comes from yiras shomayim. A yarei shomayim fulfills both possibilities when he isn’t sure what to do. The root of this is in the Radl”a (reisha d’lo isyada, the unknowable head) where two opposite options can both be true, as explained by the Ramchal in sefer Kelach Pischei Chochmah. It is when one can completely fulfill each of the options, both at the same time. This was how the Brisker Rav acted, and after he did what was required of him, he was calm, serene, and happy.
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