Bechukosai- Character, Character, Character
For this year of Parsha Lesson, I will be focusing on one area of character growth, to think about in the week ahead and the benefits that a person would have from becoming better in that area.
Background
At the beginning of this week’s Parsha the Torah tells us of the tremendous blessing which will come our way when we, as a nation, are keeping the Torah and toiling in studying the Torah in the way that we are supposed to. Hashem guarantees us that if we were to do so then our crops would be so plentiful that each season’s crop would keep us busy, dealing with it, into the harvest of the next season’s crop and so on and so forth. The result would be that the marketplaces and communities of the Jewish people would be awash in food and plenty for all.
And then, Hashem also guarantees that we will ‘eat our bread to satiety’ (satisfaction). Rashi is bothered by this seeming redundancy: if there is going to be plentiful food for all, then obviously we will have enough to eat that we will be satisfied! What is the purpose of this additional blessing?
Rashi explains that what the Torah here is telling us is that there will be an additional blessing and that is that we will be able to only eat a bit and be satisfied. A person would be able to eat significantly less food than they need and yet that food would provide the person with enough energy and nutrition so that they are satisfied.
Question
Why is this a blessing!?
Imagine going to a nice restaurant and being given a small roll at the beginning of the meal- to whet your appetite. And then, because of this blessing, you are full! No more room for any appetizers, steaks, dessert, nothing. You are full. Would that be a blessing or a curse?
Answer
Obviously, this is a tremendous blessing. This person needs only to invest minimal effort into satisfying their physical needs which would therefore allow them to use their energies and efforts in a more useful way. But, the catch is- this person needs to have the proper character and perspective to actually feel blessed with this blessing.
If the person has no greater purpose in life other than indulging in the physical pleasures of food- then this person will not be able to enjoy this blessing.
Lesson
So many things in life, whether they are good or bad, depend on one’s perspective and the degree to which the person has perfected their character. A person can be blessed with health, wealth, large expanses of free time, etc. and yet be miserable. Why? Because they are not people who can enjoy these blessings.
On the other hand, a person can have neither health, nor wealth nor free time and enjoy all of the blessing that Hashem does send one’s way. What is the key? The key is to have the proper perspective to be able to recognize the blessing one does have and to have a refined and perfected character so that the blessing that Hashem does send one’s way will be capitalized on.
I have a friend who has a boring and thankless government job. He has often told me how blessed he is to have 'such a great job'. Why? Since there is so little happening at work he is often able to learn Torah during the day, and his mind is free and clear to focus on Torah when his workday is over, at night. What is clearly a curse to so many people is a blessing to my friend- since he is able to capitalize on this blessing from Hashem.
In America, in the year 2022, so many people have so much blessing. The average, poor person, lives with more luxuries and ease of life than kings did just a couple of hundred years ago. Yet, so many people are depressed, sad, angry and feel bitter about life? Why?
Obviously this has nothing to do with the absolute level of blessing that they have, but rather the person themselves not being able to enjoy that blessing and take advantage of it.
Benefits of this…
When one realizes that much more important than having great blessing is to be a person of more perfected character, who can enjoy the blessing that they have been showered with, that person will be on the right track to really succeed in life.
When one realizes that they can have all of the blessing in the world and be miserable, while at the same time someone else has barely any blessing at all and is happy- that will be someone who realizes the power of the proper perspective.
And when we realize that all of the good in the world cannot make us happy and at the same time all of the blessing in the world will not make us successful, that is when we will focus in on what is most important- and incidentally, the only thing which is truly within our power- and that is: our own character, ourselves.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful Shabbos!
