For the Refua Shlema of Mordechai Tzvi ben
Sara & Binyamin ben Blanka. There is an inspiring and classic story from
the 1900’s of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Automobiles. At some point during Ford’s daily schedule, he would pass by a lake
and see a fisherman with his beat up fishing rod waiting for a catch and a
bucket of bait. After a certain period of time, Ford parked his expensive
luxury car, walked up to the man with his fishing rod and said: “I see you
everyday and I don’t understand what you are doing. Let’s do this: I will give
you a loan, rent a boat and catch many fish, and then eventually start a
fishing company and make millions. Then you can come here and fish all you
want!” The fisherman looked up and simply answered: “Why would I do that if I
am doing just that [without all the effort of starting the business, etc]?”
We always hear people say, “Live
like there’s no tomorrow.” The Torah completely agrees. At the same time we all
try to accomplish Happiness, Prosperity, free time for a vacation, Wealth,
Health, etc. Everyone looks at the end goal, what they will tell their
grandchildren after 120, or what they can say was their biggest accomplishment.
But what does the Torah say?
Don’t look at the future, look at NOW. Today is the first day of the rest of
your life. We should NOT look at how our lives will be in 50 years or 30 years
or even next year, rather we all need to start APPRECIATING EVERY second that
G-d gives us here in the world.
There is a book called Lev Eliyahu that is really inspiring: it says that throughout every stage of life we need to work on something.
A Major Avodah (work on ourselves) that will make
us better people. He brings a pasuk (12:1) from Kohelet that says: “And remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the
days of evil come, and years arrive, about which you will say, "I have no
desire in them.”
He
explains that the “days of your youth” is actually the days that we are given a
‘turbo’ push to work on ourselves, and more importantly to work on our Middot (characteristics). He says
Praised are those that in their days of youth do self-reflections (Cheshbon
Nefesh) that help them work on their middot
to improve themselves as people, and more importantly as Jews that represent
Hashem.
What
is our Avodah today? It’s to work on
our Middot, how we act with the
people around us and the experiences we live through. Then at 120 we will worry
about what to tell our grandchildren, our biggest accomplishments, and all the
other exciting things we live by. At the end of the day its all about
representing Hashem and the importance of transforming our Heart from a human
heart to a heart of the Torah. With a good heart comes good Middot, which can
be attained only at our age, the age of youth.
B’H we should all begin to prepare for the Yamim
Nora’im.
Yom Kippur is in 31 days.
Rosh HaShanah is in 21 days.
Selichot have already begun.
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For the Refua Shlema of Mordechai Tzvi ben
Sara & Binyamin ben Blanka. There is an inspiring and classic story from
the 1900’s of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Automobiles. At some point during Ford’s daily schedule, he would pass by a lake
and see a fisherman with his beat up fishing rod waiting for a catch and a
bucket of bait. After a certain period of time, Ford parked his expensive
luxury car, walked up to the man with his fishing rod and said: “I see you
everyday and I don’t understand what you are doing. Let’s do this: I will give
you a loan, rent a boat and catch many fish, and then eventually start a
fishing company and make millions. Then you can come here and fish all you
want!” The fisherman looked up and simply answered: “Why would I do that if I
am doing just that [without all the effort of starting the business, etc]?”
We always hear people say, “Live
like there’s no tomorrow.” The Torah completely agrees. At the same time we all
try to accomplish Happiness, Prosperity, free time for a vacation, Wealth,
Health, etc. Everyone looks at the end goal, what they will tell their
grandchildren after 120, or what they can say was their biggest accomplishment.
He
explains that the “days of your youth” is actually the days that we are given a
‘turbo’ push to work on ourselves, and more importantly to work on our Middot (characteristics). He says
Praised are those that in their days of youth do self-reflections (Cheshbon
Nefesh) that help them work on their middot
to improve themselves as people, and more importantly as Jews that represent
Hashem.
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