Dear Friend,
In life there are many important priorities. How can we make sure to balance all those priorities to incorporate them into our life and not lose sight of the forest because we are so focused on the trees?
The same is in Jewish life, we have so many important Mitzvahs to do and we want to get to all of them. Sometimes we feel like one Mitzvah should take precedence over the other because we feel that one is more important than the other.
When the Jews were instructed to build a Temple for G-d, they had to be reminded that the construction of the temple may not supersede Shabbos and although building a temple for G-d is a most holy and important task, Shabbos was to be a day of rest, as the Torah says, even from the construction of the temple.
For life must be lived wholesomely, everything is connected, we cannot ignore one part of life because another just took priority.
Judaism teaches us that we must figure out how to incorporate a new priority into our current life and set of values, so that it is a wonderful addition to life rather than a distraction.
See the trees, appreciate each one of them and never lose sight of the forest!
Good Shabbos
Rabbi Mendel & Elke Zaltzman
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A BISSELE HUMOR
Yankel always worried about everything all his life. But one day his coworkers noticed Yankel seemed like a changed man.
They remarked that he didn’t seem to be the least bit worried about anything. Yankel said he’d hired a professional worrier and no longer had any problems.
“A professional worrier?" they said. "What does that cost?”
“$150,000 a year.”
"150k a year?! How on earth are you going to pay him? You are about to declare bankruptcy!"
"Well that will be his first worry."
WEEKLY eTORAH
Good ideas and worthwhile projects are suggested regularly. The question is, do they get off the drawing board? And if they do, how long do they last? What degree of permanence do they enjoy?
Moses gathered the assembly of the Children of Israel — these are the opening words of the Parshah Vayakhel. Rashi tells us that this day of assembly was the day after Yom Kippur. Moses came down from Mount Sinai on Yom Kippur bearing the message of G‑d's forgiveness for the sin of the Golden Calf. The next day, he gathered the people and commanded them to build the Sanctuary.
Why is it important to know that this was the day after Yom Kippur?
Perhaps it is because while on Yom Kippur everyone is holy, the challenge is to be holy after Yom Kippur. It is relatively easy to be holy on the holiest day of the year. The test of faith is to maintain our good behavior in the days and weeks following the awesome, sacred experience. Will we still be inspired or will our enthusiasm have waned straight after Neilah?
And it's not only about Shul, it's about life. What happens after the honeymoon? Or the first anniversary? Do we have the commitment and the staying power to be in for the long haul?
So this is a call not only to maintain the momentum of our spiritual inspiration but to take practical steps to do so. To succeed in the long term, we must have a pragmatic plan; a realistic, workable, achievable program to see us through to the end. Otherwise, G‑d forbid, our fervent feelings of the moment may turn out a flash in the pan.
Let us be inspired enough to make sure our inspiration lasts.
adapted from www.chabad.org
