Operation Inspiration
By If you’re a regular reader, you know that I always look for messages from Hashem in whatever subtle way I can find them. If you pay attention to idle comments that sort of invade your ears as you’re passing by some people you don’t know, or take note of a license plate, or a song that plays when you’re in a certain situation, you’ll probably be able to identify a nuanced message from your Creator, meant just for you.
Then, again, there are times when He hits you in the face with a sledgehammer and neon lights. What follows is one of those striking messages I received one day which put my life, and maybe yours, into stark focus.
I was traveling and staying in a hotel. Early one morning, I went to shul which was about a ten-minute drive from where I was staying, and being that it was an out-of-town location, Shacharis was rather early. I got back to the hotel before 8am and headed to the front door, holding the bag containing my Talis and Tefillen close to my body.
I reached the front doors almost exactly at the same time as a fellow who was apparently staying there as well, but who had brought his pet along. While I was returning from communing with my Creator clutching a bag of holy items, he was returning from taking his dog to commune with nature, and the bag he was clutching was holding something decidedly different.
Normally, I would show deference to another and hold the door open for him. This time, though, I knew that I should enter first, as a sign of respect to the Tefillen in my hand, and to what they represented. This was my neon billboard moment, when Hashem put things into perspective for me.
Both the other fellow and I found what we’d been doing important. Yet, I was invested in a spiritual undertaking, while he was invested in… well, an animal undertaking. I understand that he loved his dog. He even kissed the pooch in the elevator (no masks!) But what it underscored to me was how easy it is for people to get distracted from what’s important.
Now, I will digress a moment to assure you that I am not underestimating the importance of pets in some people’s lives. They can be great companions and provide therapeutic benefits. My main moment of contradistinction was looking at the two bags we were holding.
So often we can get involved in pursuits that we think are valid, important, and even uplifting, yet the end result can be something far from holy. We can identify things we think are the pinnacle of our success, yet when compared to other options, they are meaningless or worse.
Imagine you worked hard and managed to buy yourself that sportscar you always wanted. I’m not talking about a simple Tesla or Range Rover. This is a serious car and you’re uber-proud of it. You go to an event with your car, and as you pull up, every head turns. You hand your keys to the valet with a wink and a word to be careful with it, and then you go inside.
As you leave, someone calls your name and asks if you can drive “Insert Name of Gadol/Rosh Yeshiva Here” home. You realize that he will not appreciate the sleek beauty or the low-slung seats. This car which was your pride and joy suddenly becomes a bit of an embarrassment as you realize what it says about your priorities. Instead of spending your time in spiritual pursuits, you were chasing after other things.
Sure, you may be learning Torah too, and giving lots of tzedakah, and this may just be a hobby for you that you happen to be able to afford. But that may not be the case for the others who are lusting after that car or the statement it makes. They want to show that they are successful in this world, but isn’t that a bit anti-climactic?
We are so much greater than the successes of this world. We are capable of reaching tremendous heights of “de’ah es Hashem,” understanding Hashem and really getting to know Him through the efforts we put in as Jews. We don’t envy the fame of the Hollywood stars and we don’t want people to recognize us as captains of industry.
We say every Shabbos morning that Moshe Rabbeinu was happy because he was called “a trusted servant.” When given the choice, he understood that when everyone around him was gathering gold and silver, he could take something much more valuable from Egypt – the remains of Yosef, thereby honoring Yosef HaTzaddik and keeping the promise made to him. Smart choice.
It’s like the famous parable about the poor man who travels to an island where diamonds are plentiful and strewn across the ground but the inhabitants ignore them and value potatoes. As time passes, he forgets why he came there and spends his time collecting those potatoes which will be worthless or worse when he gets home. If he’s lucky enough to stash a few spare diamonds in his pockets as “pretty baubles,” that’s what he’ll live on in the real world.
I feel like Hashem wanted to stress that message of keeping focused on the right things so much that it was unmistakable to me. That’s why he set up that scene. He wanted me to recognize that I can do whatever I choose to in life, filling my suitcase with whatever I want, be it diamonds or potatoes. At the end of the day, however, I must keep in mind that whatever it is, I’m going to be left holding the bag.
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