יַעֲרֹף כַּמָּטָר לִקְחִי ....
Moshe Rabbeinu compares the Torah to rainfall. What lesson can we gather from this imagery? U’Vacharta B’Chaim explains: Rain falls and makes our crops grow, but this growth is never immediately noticeable. So too, the efforts we put into our own growth are likewise not easily identifiable.
Let’s not get frustrated and give up on our personal vows to improve in the coming year; let’s be more patient in the spiritual realm. Our efforts are never in vain. We make promises to learn more or to change our middos, to be a kinder, more caring person, to give more charity, to put away the phone when our children come home from school and when we are eating together. Or if we do not eat dinner together as a family, we resolve to do so this year....
All these are great things to promise ourselves. But what if we follow through and nothing happens – we have no miraculous stories to tell...what then? Will we gradually fade in our commitments and slip back into doing what’s easier for us to do? In this age of instant gratification, are we slaves to our impatience?
Change is a rare commodity. We’re given the gift of teshuvah and for the most part we take it seriously. At this time of year, change is in our spiritual DNA. And for the most part, we can notice that our lives become different, better. But what if we don’t see a change? It’s at this point that we might start giving up on our resolutions. That’s a real pity, as real change does indeed transform us, but it takes time. Good things come to those who wait...
A city dweller traveled to the countryside and was intrigued by a farmer planting all sorts of seeds.
“How can you bring forth beautiful produce by hiding these seeds in the ground?” the city dwellers asked.
The farmer replied, “These seeds are planted in the ground, out of sight, but they will soon yield beautiful vegetables.”
“Could you please give me some seeds to take home to my city? I wish to grow some plants as well...”
The urban dweller traveled back home with a small bag of seeds, and hurried to plant them next to his house. Driven and impatient, he planted the seeds in the very same way the farmer did. He waited, standing over the small patch of land. Six long hours passed...and nothing grew! Feeling cheated, he drove straight back to the farmer’s house.
“You sold me a pocket full of dreams. I planted the seeds, but nothing grew!”
The farmer told him, “When I said your labors would yield results, I didn’t mean in a day or two, and surely not six hours! It’ll take some time, but with G-ds help you’ll see results. Be patient, and never give up!”
How simple the words of our farmer seem, but how important they are. Oftentimes, we must wait and just keep doing what we are doing. Inner change requires much effort, but in the process we heal ourselves, and true healing can only occur with time and patience.
Written by R’ Avrohom Hillel Reich based on a lesson and story by Harav Ben Tziyon Sneh Shlita
