“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos
Kodesh parshas Vayechi
13 Teves 5783/January
6, 2023
SPECIAL
DELIVERY
I
have a nose, but I’d like to think I’m not too nosey. I have ears, but I don’t
think I’m eerie. One thing is for certain. Although I have hands, I am
definitely not handy.
So,
when I went to retrieve our mail one afternoon, and the entire mailbox came off
its stand, it was stressful. The mailbox was old and rickety for a long time.
That day it completely came off its rotted screws and was clearly beyond
repair.
At
first, we placed the severed mailbox on top of a light post at the edge of our
driveway. But our mailman informed us that we needed to have a proper mailbox
and it needed to be installed before the ground froze.
For
many people purchasing a new mailbox isn’t a big deal. But for me, an unhandy
dandy, it was no simple matter. We could have had it installed professionally
but we decided to get a “do it yourself” one with simple instructions.
Let’s
just say that it was a two-and-a-half-week project. Every step of the way
became complicated for the Staum amateurs. I borrowed a heavy drill from my
neighbor Meir, who is always gracious with helping our family with handy matters.
I felt very good doing the drilling myself but afterwards I was still unable to
get the mailbox stand into the ground. Meir drove by, got out of his car, and
whacked it in in three minutes. I appreciate that he kept his comments to
himself and pretended that it had nothing to do with my glaring incompetence.
When
it came to the next step - drilling, my wife ran out of patience waiting for
me. As she was drilling in the screws, another neighbor walked by and said she
wanted to bring her daughters over so they could see that a woman could use
power tools. I told my wife that our neighbor should be happy that her husband
knows how to use such tools, so she doesn’t have to.
It’s
not like I didn’t do anything. I did give my wife a hand. When she was done, I
applauded.
Thankfully
our new mailbox is up and hopefully will remain that way. Now all our bills
will have a comfortable place to rest, and the mailman can deliver them without
being grumpy with us.
The
Gemara (Shabbos 31a) states that having Fear of Heaven is analogous to a
treasurer who was handed the keys to the inner doors of the
treasury, but was not given the keys to the outer door. If he can’t get through
the outer door, how will he gain access to the inner door?
The
Gemara explains that Torah is the inner key to opening the gates of our inner
connection with Hashem. Fear of Heaven and living with a sense of constant
awareness of Hashem, is the key to the outer gates. Without Fear of Heaven, one
cannot gain access to the gateways opened by Torah study and Torah living.
The
Gemara states that even if a person masters all 6 Orders of the Mishnah, “the
fear of the Lord is his treasure”. If he does not have Fear of Heaven, he has
nothing! It is analogous to a person who said to his friend, "I have a thousand
measures of grain, I have a thousand measures of oil and a thousand measures of
wine." His friend said to him, "Do you have storehouses to put them
into? If you have, everything is yours; if not, essentially you have
nothing!" So too, a person who has Fear of Heaven has everything. But one
who lacks Fear of Heaven ultimately has nothing.
My
rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, illustrates this idea with a personal anecdote. In the
1950s while visiting the fledgling country of Eretz Yisroel he went shopping in
a makolet (small market) one morning. He gathered a few items and placed them
in front of the cashier, who rung up his bill. After Rabbi Wein paid, like a
good American he waited for the cashier to bag his items. After a minute of
awkward silence, the cashier looked at him with Israeli gracefulness and said,
“nu!”
Rabbi
Wein realized that no bags were being provided. He would have to carry
everything home. He placed yogurt and whatever else could fit in each pocket
and did his best to waddle down the street balancing the rest of his groceries
in his arms.
Rabbi
Wein muses that that incident drove home the meaning of the aforementioned
Gemara. If one has Fear of Heaven, he has a sense of perspective and direction
in his life. The Torah he learns and the mitzvos he performs draw him closer to
G-d and to living a G-dly life. Fear of Heaven is the vessel that allows us to
internalize all of our Avodas Hashem. But one who lacks Fear of Heaven doesn’t
have the container to grant him that perspective and balance. He may observe
mitzvos and study Torah but he remains unbalanced and unable to internalize it.
In
a similar vein, the Mishna (Uktzin 3:12) states, “The Holy One, blessed is He,
found no vessel to bear blessing other than peace.” One who is at peace with
others and within himself can appreciate and enjoy all the other blessings in
his life. But one who is not at peace lacks equilibrium in his life and no
matter how much blessing he has he won’t be able to appreciate it.
Our
new mailbox allows our invitations, USPS orders, and school mailings to be
safely delivered. Now we just have to figure out how to get the mailman to not
deliver our many bills, solicitations and junk mail.
Shabbat Shalom
& Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum