Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto’s talks are known throughout the Jewish world. They combine chassidic teachings and philosophy, along with tips for a better life. We have collected pearls from his teachings that are relevant to our daily lives. This week he comments on the Torah section of Vayeshev.
"And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father lived."
Our rabbis explain (Rashi 37:2) that Jacob wanted to live in peace when the harrowing episode of Joseph’s disappearance fell upon him. Righteous people want to live in peace, but the Satan chides them, “It’s not enough that a reward is awaiting you in the Next World but you also want a comfortable life in This World?” We have to understand this claim and its profound meaning.
Many times a person wants peace and quiet in his life and thinks that he should have a comfortable existence. He doesn't know that every small action here has a great impact above. A person does something down here and does not see how it makes a difference. For example, blowing a shofar and shaking the lulav. A person may think to himself, “What difference does it make if I blow the shofar?” If I make a blast, so what? You can also make a blast with another instrument. The same with shaking the lulav. What exactly did shaking the lulav do? After all, you don’t see any other result besides a few seconds of shaking, so what is the point and meaning of shaking the Four Species?
There is a general principle we have to know. Every small action below has a great effect above. Even an action that seems meaningless, has an effect and a great impact in heaven. Blowing the shofar, which seems like a simple thing and nothing more than making a sound, achieves the great act of having God move to the seat of mercy from the seat of strict justice. Shaking the Four Species has the immense power of braking evil forces in the heaven and blocking them. A small thing Below can have a colossal effect Above.
It is known that every act of the righteous is an omen for future generations. It has an impact not only at that moment but also for the righteous person’s children, grandchildren and future generations. We find this with our patriarch Abraham and matriarch Sarah. Everything they went through in Egypt also occurred to their descendants later on and to future generations of the Jewish people in all ages.
This is why Jacob our father wanted to live at peace. Jacob wasn’t thinking of himself but of future generations of the Jewish people. However, God teaches us through Joseph an important fundamental of life. They threw him into the pit which was the beginning of Joseph’s great trial in the land of Egypt. The pit had snakes and scorpions that signify a person having nothing and having to deal with utter deprivation.
We know that the snake has food available to it at all times because it eats dirt. This signifies its distance from God because it does not need to ask God for its ever-present sustenance, in contrast to a person who has to pray all the time for his food. God prefers a person to undergo the experience of deprivation and dealing with deficiency and praying for his needs, rather than the comfortable life of the snake who has what it needs but is distant from God.
We see that seemingly little things are an indication of great things. This means that when a person undergoes a trial, he should know that G-d sends him these trials because He loves him. He is building the person’s world so he can accomplish great things. When our patriarch Jacob asked to be in peace, and not undergo difficult things that would also occur to future generations, God told him no. Everything you undergo in this world will teach your children that no matter what trials they go through, they will have the strength to withstand them. They will pass this ability on to all generations.
It is told that one righteous man gathered his students and asked each one how the world could be improved. He asked them what else there should be in the world. One wrote the world should have more sustenance. One who was childless wrote ‘I want God to make the world with more children.’ One who was homeless wrote ‘I want God to ensure that everyone in the world has a home.’
Their teacher then told them they were wrong, and God had created a perfect world. The fact that we think that a certain thing is not perfect actually shows a lack of faith. We recite in the blessing on fruit trees “Who made nothing lacking in His world.” God created the world without anything lacking, it is only we who think there is a lack. If we want peace and quiet without anything disturbing us, to only live a comfortable life, then we will be comfortable for the short term, but we will have given up the perfection of the world for the long term.
A person who wants to change the world to make it more comfortable, to make it a world with fewer problems and trials, is making a serious mistake. A person who is comfortable and does nothing will have no livelihood the next day, while a person who is having it rough and is pressed and strives and struggles, is building himself up for another day. Only after the person goes through trials, will he realize that all these trials in the end will perfect his picture and everything that happened to him is very good.
Therefore, even when a person wants to sit in peace, he must know that his trials and struggles are giving strength to future generations. The times when he is strong and succeeds in great things will have an impact in months and years to come. Therefore if a person has difficult trials and challenges, he should know that these are temporary things that will lead to the big accomplishments he will do in a year, two years, or even on behalf of his sons.
Trials build foundations!
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel