A Joke With A Lesson
Yossi asked Yankel, “Why are you wearing such small shoes? You can’t walk normal!”
“Because I am older and there are many pleasures of life I can't have anymore.” Yankel said simply, “I can’t eat good junk food or fried food!”
“Okay, but why tight shoes?” Yossi asked again.
Yankel said with a smile, “Because they squash my feet all day and when I finally kick it off at night, I go ahhh… I have such joy and pleasure. When you’ll be my age you’ll understand…”
What’s the lesson? We Yidden have a Torah that is sweeter than any pleasure, more enjoyable than any food or any shoe… Maybe you can’t learn Gemara, but why can’t you learn something else, like Chumash, Mishnayos, or Halacha, and learn on your level? It is so sweet.
Little 8-year-old Shlome was walking with his friend when they saw Shlome’s rebbi walking down the block.
“I see your rebbi. Quick, hide, since you told me he was upset that you came late this week,” Shlome’s friend said.
“Okay, but I think you should also hide,” little Shlome said, “because I told my rebbi that I was late since you passed away and I went to your funeral…”
What’s the lesson? One should never lie. Unless it’s to make peace.
Some get very sad when one speaks about death or a funeral. The correct way to view death is 1) it should be a motivation to utilize all the time in one’s life, one will not be here forever 2) When one dies, it is only the body that dies, but one’s soul never dies.
R’ Ephraim Wachsman shlita was shocked when he saw a man he knew well driving a brand-new, fancy luxury car. This did not seem like him at all. So R’ Wachsman asked the man’s son. “I know your father. This is not him. Why did he buy such an expensive car?”
The son smiled. “You are right. He would never buy it for himself. But he drives his older mother everywhere she needs to go. He wanted her to feel good.”
So he went to the car dealer and asked if he could try a very comfortable car. They said yes. He drove it straight to his mother. He asked her to sit inside and check if she felt comfortable. She said, “This is perfect, I like the color and it’s very comfortable.” He went straight back and bought it on the spot, not for comfort, just to make his mother happy.
That’s the lesson. R’ Wachsman said it with his famous passion: “One can buy a car, and it’s full of holiness!”
In life, we can do so many things, but if we just put our mind to it, it can become so spiritual and holy.
Yaakov Avinu left the Bais Medrash and went to sleep for the first time in 14 years, and that’s when Hashem spoke to him for the first time, in his sleep. Yaakov woke up and said, “I did not realize how holy this place was.” Meaning, he didn’t realize that Hashem would speak to him while he was sleeping. He didn’t realize that even sleep can become holy. For 14 years, he didn’t go to sleep, but now he has realized it can be used for holiness. (Based on Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l)
R’ Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt”l, Rosh Yeshivah of Mir, wanted a talmid from R’ Avraham Pam zt”l to take a job in chinuch. But R’ Pam felt it was too much responsibility for this talmid. R’ Finkel told R’ Pam not to worry because with “extra responsibilities comes extra strength and help from heaven.” And that this talmid would get the strength to do it. R’ Pam appreciated this advice and always repeated it.
That’s the lesson. Nothing is impossible for a Yid, if one wants to do something good or help someone, and takes responsibility for it (with obvious help from Hashem), he can, and will change the world.
This connects to this week’s parshah:
Yaakov was on his way to find his shidduch. There, he met other men by a well who were waiting for more people to help remove the stone cover. Yaakov walked over and lifted the rock himself.
Question: Rav Malkiel Kotler shlita asked a bomb question, “What difference does it make to us that Yaakov was able to take off the stone by himself? Since when do we look up to how strong someone is?”
Answer: We make a big mistake in life, Rav Malkiel Kotler shlita said. In the physical world, we need strength first, and then we take on responsibilities. But in the spiritual world, when it comes to serving Hashem, the opposite is true. We learn this from Yaakov Avinu; the stone had to be lifted, and since Yaakov wanted to help them and took responsibility, Hashem gave him extra strength. (Based on a speech from Dr. Charlie Harari)
In life, once you know if something is the right thing to do, you will get special help if you take on the responsibility.
Feel like you have too much responsibilities?
