Rabbi Ben Zion Sneh
"ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה")בראשית כ"ח, י'("
“And our forefather Jacob left Beer Sheva, to go towards Charan”
The words of Rashi from grade school ring in our ears:
“When a tzaddik leaves a town, its shine diminishes, its beauty lessens, and its wonder ceases.”
We are all designed for greatness, but how many of us fulfill our destiny? Somewhere along the way we lose the fascination we had as a child. Maybe it’s our own inner voice, maybe it’s the voice of others- but we learn, unfortunately, to give up on our dreams at some point. Settling for the safe, sure and predictable – we take jobs or open businesses that will bring our families all they need to live comfortably, but at what cost?
Each one of us has in our spiritual DNA, the strength to save a city, if we would only learn to be concerned for others as well as ourselves, to think globally as well as domestically. A nation of leaders – our talents, creative and otherwise, should never be wasted. If we allow the “tzaddik” in our soul to diminish, if we allow our dreams of creativity (emulating our Creator), to fall by the wayside, we will have forsaken the very power that G-d Himself has invested in us to change the world. Remember, one who saves even one soul (his own) is as if he has saved an entire world.
As we get older, our yearning to be more creative could get stronger – but we must reach for the golden ring with confidence. The road to self- actualization may be bumpy, but it is the only one with complete satisfaction-
Dealing with the Lavan (challenges) in Our Lives
All this positive talk is fine and good when things are going well, but sometimes life takes a turn, leaving us to deal with a problem that we never, ever anticipated. It is then that we realize that the greatness in our souls manifests itself, when we rise to a challenge. Perhaps this is why the word for challenge in our holy language is Nisayon- (lit. something that is raised).
Often, we face not an ordinary challenge, but one that to our eyes seems insurmountable. Remember, to the Master of the World, (who knows all that is destined to happen to us until the end of time) - it is a custom-made challenge. We climb the steps to greatness by rising to challenges with a positive attitude, as little anger as possible and the understanding that the challenge itself is what we need to achieve greatness and eternity.
Yaakov Avinu set out for Charan, but ended up spending 14 years in the Beis Medrash of Shem and Ever. Despite his well-intentioned plans, Hashem led him where he needed to be.
R’ Chaim Volozhiner, the author of the Nefesh Hachaim, and the closest student of the Vilna Gaon, tells us that if we wish to unblock ourselves, change our “luck” so to speak and realign ourselves with our destiny, we must internalize the words “ein od milvado”- there is absolutely no one but You Hashem who determines our future.
Once we make peace with the fact that what we have is what was meant for us, disappointment and jealousy will fall away. We will then have successfully cleared a path for our tefilos to achieve miracles.
Ein od oelavado - more than just words.
There is truly no one besides Hashem who can help us. If we believe this, then there is only one thing left to do. Cry directly to Him to answer all our pleas. Whatever comes from Above is for the best. As the saying goes – ”it’s all good.” We may have said it hundreds of times, but we must now feel it.
One way to actualize this is to pray to Hashem for help in every little thing we do, even hundreds of times a day, if necessary. In this month of Kislev (lit. the covering of the heart), if we open our hearts to Hashem, inviting Him into our lives, then he will open His heart, as it were, to us and hear our prayers. May this month bring miraculous yeshuos, large and small, for our families, our communities, and all of Klal Yisroel!
Good Shabbos!
Written by R’ Avrohom Hillel Reich based on a lesson and story by Harav Ben Tziyon Sneh Shlita
