A person is walking in the desert and sees a poor child lying in the sand crying, abandoned by his parents. He immediately takes the child into his home and brings him up as one of his own children. He invests his heart, his soul and his money in the child. This merciful Yid then hears about an even sadder story. There is an innocent Jew who is sitting in jail due to false allegations leveled against him by his enemy.
Once again, this kind Yid rushes to the rescue. He speaks to the heart of the jailed man’s enemy and succeeds in getting the Jew released. This good-hearted Yid then received a huge gift along with a lengthy letter filled with expressions of gratitude, with signatures of the entire family and countless friends of the man he helped release from jail.
Suddenly, this good Yid has a question: If for a favor in which I invested maybe five hours I receive so much recognition and gratitude, where is the child who has long ago become a young man? In him I invested so much more! I gave him my time, my money, and my kochos hanefesh. Where is his gratitude?
This is a story that the Chovos Halevavos brings (in the beginning of Shaar Habechinah) to explain why we often fail to recognize the good that Hashem does for us and to thank Him for it.
When a person gets used to something, he comes to expect it, as if it’s coming to him naturally. He takes it for granted and doesn’t even think he’s receiving something – it’s already his.
We have gone through a year of tremendous miracles. Dozens of times throughout the past year, the enemies of Am Yisrael on all sides were sure that they’d succeed, R”l, in killing us and destroying our nation. Again and again, we see how Hakadosh Baruch Hu saves us from their hands.
Let us thank Hakadosh Baruch Hu together! Here are the numbers:
Over 20,000 missiles were fired at us from Gaza. Over 9,000 missiles were fired at us from Lebanon and Syria. Almost 500 missiles were fired at us from Iran. About 200 missiles were fired at us from Yemen. And Hashem saves us from their hands again and again.
We have become accustomed to the fact that missiles fly and there are no casualties. Bombs are detonated and no harm occurs.
What Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants from us is that we not become accustomed to this, but rather that we accustom ourselves to giving thanks and recognizing all the good that our merciful Father did and does for us all the time.
May we be zocheh to a gemar chasimah tovah and a good Yom Tov.
Pinchas Shefer
Succos 5785 ■ Issue 149
