Living in the Moment
Have you ever wondered how much time we spend on certain activities in a lifetime? When our day-to-day activities like eating, sleeping, and working are summed up into a lifetime, it can be quite surprising to see how much of our lives goes into certain tasks.
In any given business or organization, a large percentage of our time, energy and resources are invested into activities which are necessary but ostensibly serve only as a means to an end.
Notwithstanding the advance of technology and the enormous amount of services available that can help us avoid some of the time-consuming responsibilities, we still spend a significant amount of time involved with apparently trivial but necessary tasks.
Wouldn’t it be nice to spend a larger percentage of our time doing things that we truly find enjoyable and meaningful?
In this week’s Torah portion we learn about the fascinating story of Jacob’s journey back home to Israel with his family and the dramatic encounter with his brother Esau.
The Torah recounts that Esau was still resentful of the fact that Jacob had taken from him the first born blessing and he was fast approaching Jacob with a group of four hundred men with the intention of killing him.
Jacob therefore prepares himself via a three-pronged strategy: prayer to G‑d, organizing for war, and sending a gift to appease his brother. Before he meets Esau, though, a mysterious incident occurs: Jacob is confronted by a “man” who wrestles with him and attempts to prevent him from going forward.
As the Torah recounts, “[Jacob] arose that night, and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and brought them across the stream, and carried over whatever [possessions] he had. Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke. [The man] saw that he could not overpower Jacob, so he touched his hip joint; Jacob’s hip joint was dislocated as he wrestled with him. [The man] said, “Let me go, because dawn has broken!” [Jacob] said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” [The man asks] “What is your name?” “Jacob.”[was the reply] [The man] said, “No longer will your name be said to be Jacob, but Israel, for you have exercised mastery [sar] with the divine and with men, and you have prevailed.”- Genesis 32:24-30
Our sages explain that this “man” who Jacob had wrestled with was the ministering angel of Esau. A commonplace of Talmudic and Midrashic literature is that every nation has its own “minister” who represents its interests before G‑d. It is Esau’s angel, then, who attempts to frustrate Jacob’s mission. But ultimately Jacob was victorious over his adversary and instead forced him to give him a blessing.
In Kabbalah it explains that the Hebrew name of a person, animal or object represents its energy and life force. The commentaries point out that the two names Jacob and Israel, represent two aspects of a Jew’s life.
Jacob means the heel while Israel expresses nobility.
The name Jacob represents how a Jew should approach material activities. On the surface, we are like everyone else involved in material activities; we eat, drink, and deal in business. But we engage in these activities “for the sake of heaven.” We carry out all our material activities with a sense of inner purpose: to elevate the sparks of G‑dliness contained in the material entities. This may entail spearheading philanthropic initiatives in our workplace or listening to a Torah class while exercising or during a daily commute, or mentoring and assisting a colleague with a business venture.
The Divine service of Israel involves a different approach. We do not have to conceal the G‑dly goal of our material involvement. For material concerns do not create a conflict for us. For example, while we enjoy a Shabbat dinner or celebrate a Jewish holiday with family and friends we are actively and openly observing a Mitzvah.
While the majority of our time may be spent on activities that don’t seem inherently meaningful, we have the opportunity to find purpose in every moment and encounter. By doing so, we transform and elevate an ordinary day.
This coming week we celebrate the 19th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidut. First introduced to the Jewish world by the teachings and leadership of the Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), his disciple the Magid of Mezritch (1704-1772), and eventually led by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1813) and the subsequent Rebbes, Chassidut continues to transform Judaism and Jewish life and infuse it with joy, meaning and a sense of love for one another. Among the foundational teachings of Chassidut include the ideas that every person and thing has a divine purpose, every moment is filled with infinite opportunities, and every Mitzvah that we do makes an eternal impact on ourselves and the world around us.
Once, while the Baal Shem Tov lay in deep meditation, Moshiach appeared to him in a vision. “Master,” the Baal Shem Tov asked, “when will you come?” Moshiach replied, “When your wellsprings shall spread to the outside.”
The wellsprings are the deepest wisdom of G-d and His Torah containing the secrets and purpose of the creation of the world. The “outside” begins first with transforming the most external, mundane, or challenging parts of our lives into springboards and opportunities for positive growth and eventually affecting the furthest corners of the globe and outside world.
When Jacob confronted Esau, although Jacob was prepared for the Redemption, Esau was not, and the task of refining Esau and the material world associated with him had to continue for centuries. However, the Rebbe stated on numerous occasions that the task of refinement which was entrusted to the Jews has now been completed. As demonstrated by the conduct of this country (i.e. U.S.A.), a country of kindness, as well as many other countries across the globe. Therefore, we are now living in a new era with a new service. Instead of concentrating on the refinement of the world, our efforts must focus on revealing the Redemption and making it a reality.
