“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Yisro
19 Shevat 5782/January 21, 2022
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לרפואה שלימה נטע יצחק בן רחל
DESERTS OF LIFE
One
night just before Tu b’Shvat, our five year old son Gavriel asked for an apple.
My wife cut up the apple into pieces for him to eat, but he insisted that she
cut out the seeds. When my wife did so, Gavriel excitedly filled a plastic bowl
with water and placed the seeds in the bowl.
Gavriel
informed us that his teacher had taught them about the seeds in the fruit that
can be planted to grow new fruit trees. He was intrigued and excited by the
idea and decided to plant an apple tree in a plastic bowl in our kitchen. Best
of luck!
This
year, Tu b’Shvat happened to coincide with the observance of Martin Luther King
Jr. day. Someone posed a challenge to explain a possible connection between the
two days.
I suggested
that planting a tree requires foresight, a sense of vision and tremendous
patience. Digging a hole and taking a few seeds and burying them in the hole
seems to be an exercise in futility. In fact, those seeds will begin to rot in
the ground before any growth occurs. But the planter has a dream of the tree
that will one day grow. He envisions the luscious fruits that will one day
emerge and the many people who will enjoy them. Martin Luther King had a dream
of the future, at a time when the fulfillment of that dream seemed unrealistic.
Planting trees and producing fruits similarly requires a dream and a vision.
Subsequently,
the connection deepened further: The night of “Tu b’MLK” day there was snow
forecasted. Our children were excitedly anticipating a school cancellation, or
at least a two-hour delay. To their chagrin, the temperature had risen
overnight, and the snow had turned to rain. Martin Luther King famously said,
“I’ve been to the mountaintop… I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there
with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the
Promised Land.”
That
morning our children felt like they had been to the mountaintop and yet were
barred entry from the Promised Land. Their hopes for snow were fulfilled, but
it wasn’t enough to accomplish what they were hoping for.
Although
regarding my children’s snow day situation and their dashed dreams, I’m being
slightly facetious, the truth is that one cannot give up on their dreams when
they aren’t fulfilled immediately.
A friend
who was going through a challenging time remarked, “I know they say that
whenever one door closes, another door opens. But these hallways are
impossible!”
While
it’s important to have dreams and a vision of what could be, one must also have
a great deal of patience for his dreams to be fulfilled. They may very well be
fulfilled but not immediately and not even in the manner in which he first
planned and hoped.
When
Klal Yisroel left Mitzrayim, they had one destination in mind - to enter Eretz
Yisroel and settle their familial land. However, they wouldn’t arrive there
until they had spent four decades in the wilderness, dealing with challenges,
vicissitudes, and daunting odds. They had to contend with thirst, hunger,
fatigue, and doubt. There were many points where they were ready to give up and
head back to Mitzrayim. The men who left Egypt largely never saw the
fulfillment of that hope. But despite it all the nation plunged ahead,
following the clouds before them. Eventually they arrived and fulfilled their
national dream. But it wasn’t in the manner or based on the route that they had
planned.
We all
have Promised Lands that we strive to reach, though we aren’t promised that we
will get there. But the road to fulfillment of our dreams is often through the
deserts of life. The road isn’t paved and straight, and there are many sharp
turns and unforeseen bends. One who expects smooth and easy sailing will likely
become despondent by the arduous journey. But one who maintains that sense of
vision and knows that the difficult and serpentine terrain is the route home,
will be able to stay the course, and enjoy the fruits of his labor along the
journey home.
Shabbat
Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum