One of the featured speakers at the recent Flatbush Thanksgiving Day Hakhel Yarchei Kallah Event was Rabbi Yosef Viener, mora d’asra of K’hal Sha’ar Hashomayim in Monsey. The topic of his shiur was “Tax Returns, Investment Returns and Priceless Returns: An Honest Perspective.”
Rabbi Viener said that it is very human that every person has their own interests and agenda. Our purpose in life is to drop these selfish considerations and ask ourselves what does Hashem truly want of us. Hashem put us into a world with a few billion people. The Yetzer Hora, our evil inclination, tries to convince us that we do want things for free, whereas our Yetzer Tov, our good inclination, teaches us that we really want to earn our spiritual schar, reward.
Our Desire to Return to Hashem
Rav Shimshon Pincus taught that every Yom Noraim (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) and Tanais, fast day, in our prayers and selichos we recite the pasuk, verse – of our desire to return to Hashem [bi’teshuva, repentance.]
Rabbi Viener noted that one usually doesn’t wake up in the morning with the Yetzer Hora asking a frum (religiously observant] Jew to do a major aveira, sin (i.e. eating a ham and cheese sandwich) during the course of a day. Rather during the course of a day, the Yetzer Hora throws a person off balance and this results in a Yid losing his kavanah, concentration when davening, praying or performing other mitzvahs.
Hashem tells us, Rabbi Viener said, that our thoughts are not His thoughts. This tell us that in most of our lives, we will not know the reasons why certain difficulties pop up in our lives.
No Comparison Between the Understanding of a Three-Year-Old Child and His Father
Rabbi Viener gave the example of an adult and his three-year-old child who are looking out of a window at the same time. There is absolutely no comparison to what the child comprehends and to what his father understands. Yet what the parent understands is even less when compared to Hashem’s comprehension, similar to the difference between shomayim (the heavens) and ha’aretz (the earth.)
When it comes to asking Hashem about why certain things happen in our life or to other people, we will never really understand. Hashem wants us to be very good in the concept of giving others the benefit of a doubt. We are here to practice our midos and be more aware of Hashem and emulate Him by becoming more of a rachum, compassionate person in regards to others who are in pain and are suffering.
A Never-Ending Task in the Life of Every Person
Intellectually, Rabbi Viener said, we understand that everything that Hakodesh Baruch Hu does to us is for our best. Nevertheless, we have to work very hard to make this belief a reality, a never-ending task in the life of every person. Hashem causes things to occur in our lives that are painful afflictions in order to cause us to reflect on what Hashem wants us now to do. Whenever Hashem gives a person unwanted pressures or difficulties, it is because Hashem is giving each and every one of us a precious opportunity for spiritual growth.
No Clear Bottom Line in Spiritual Matters
An accountant wants to know the bottom line. Are we making money? Or are we losing money? But in spiritual matters, Rabbi Viener said, we do not have a clear bottom line. Even when one does a mitzvah, he may be rewarded for only 80% of the good deed, because the other 20% of the Torah precept was not done properly.
When reflecting on a mitzvah that one does perform, we have an obligation to pat ourselves on the back in order to give ourselves the inspiration to continue in the future doing similar mitzvahs. On the other hand, we should, Rabbi Viener emphasized, reflect on that mitzvah and honestly ask ourselves if we could have done that Torah commandment in perhaps a better manner.
Reprinted from this week’s edition of The Jewish Connection.
