The following is an excerpt of a talk given by Rabbi Akiva Grunblatt, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim.
DO YOU HAVE PATIENCE? Do you think it’s important to have patience?
Obviously, the answer is that it’s important to have patience. However, like many traits, one has to work diligently to obtain it. Rabbi Yisrael Salanter proclaims that it’s extremely difficult and would take much longer time to correct a bad trait than it would for one to become Shomer Mitzvot- observant of Kashrut and Shabbat.
Obviously, the answer is that it’s important to have patience. However, like many traits, one has to work diligently to obtain it. Rabbi Yisrael Salanter proclaims that it’s extremely difficult and would take much longer time to correct a bad trait than it would for one to become Shomer Mitzvot- observant of Kashrut and Shabbat.
Our Sages alarm us and warn us to learn the following lesson. The reason why the Israelites weren’t able to comprehend the positive message that Moshe was trying to convey to them was because they lost hope, their patience ran out. It’s dangerous to not have patience because one can fall into a depression if they constantly don’t get their way.
A Rabbi took over a pulpit position in one of the New York communities. One of his congregants kept his store open on Shabbat. The Rabbi approached him and tried to reason that he should close up shop arguing that there is no bracha from proceeds obtained on Shabbat. The congregant complained “it’s my busiest day”. After a few months, the Rabbi convinced the congregant that the bracha will come through the other days of the week. Finally, the congregant acquiesced. “Have Faith!!” the Rabbi smiled and said. Months passed by, and on every Friday the congregant would call and complain to the Rabbi that “I’m losing money!! I shouldn’t have listened to you”. Until, one day, the congregant received a huge order that made up for all those closed Saturdays. He approached the Rabbi and said “see Rabbi, you’ve got to have faith”.
In many instances in TANACH we see to what extent patience can be had.
One such incident involves Elisha the profit’s right hand man, Gechazi. Over time, he had become a rasha, a wicked person. Gechazi is on a short list of unfortunate Jews who lost their World to Come. Elisha cursed him and his three sons with leprosy.
Gechazi and his sons were banished from the Jewish congregation, and being that they were lepers, they had to live on the outskirts of town and could not live among the civilization. Shortly after, a massive famine fell upon the Jews. It was at red alert level where, unfortunately, dying of hunger was inevitable. The four men decided that they had nothing to lose but to walk the long distance to the enemy camp and try their luck obtaining food. Gechazi and his sons reasoned that they were as good as dead if they remained where they were.
To their surprise, they found the camp deserted. It seemed like the enemy was taken by surprise and rushed out on seconds’ notice. Gechazi, after indulging in the excess food, decided to return and inform the King of Israel of the unbelievable discovery.
The Sages comment on the puzzling turn of events which brought life saving relief to the Jews.
The enemy camp heard loud noises, noises seeming extremely nearby. They were afraid that the Israelites were right on their door step. Unarmed and unprepared, they escaped with just their boots on.
Where did the noise come from?
G-d runs the world in a very systematic fashion!
A Rabbi took over a pulpit position in one of the New York communities. One of his congregants kept his store open on Shabbat. The Rabbi approached him and tried to reason that he should close up shop arguing that there is no bracha from proceeds obtained on Shabbat. The congregant complained “it’s my busiest day”. After a few months, the Rabbi convinced the congregant that the bracha will come through the other days of the week. Finally, the congregant acquiesced. “Have Faith!!” the Rabbi smiled and said. Months passed by, and on every Friday the congregant would call and complain to the Rabbi that “I’m losing money!! I shouldn’t have listened to you”. Until, one day, the congregant received a huge order that made up for all those closed Saturdays. He approached the Rabbi and said “see Rabbi, you’ve got to have faith”.
In many instances in TANACH we see to what extent patience can be had.
One such incident involves Elisha the profit’s right hand man, Gechazi. Over time, he had become a rasha, a wicked person. Gechazi is on a short list of unfortunate Jews who lost their World to Come. Elisha cursed him and his three sons with leprosy.
Gechazi and his sons were banished from the Jewish congregation, and being that they were lepers, they had to live on the outskirts of town and could not live among the civilization. Shortly after, a massive famine fell upon the Jews. It was at red alert level where, unfortunately, dying of hunger was inevitable. The four men decided that they had nothing to lose but to walk the long distance to the enemy camp and try their luck obtaining food. Gechazi and his sons reasoned that they were as good as dead if they remained where they were.
To their surprise, they found the camp deserted. It seemed like the enemy was taken by surprise and rushed out on seconds’ notice. Gechazi, after indulging in the excess food, decided to return and inform the King of Israel of the unbelievable discovery.
The Sages comment on the puzzling turn of events which brought life saving relief to the Jews.
The enemy camp heard loud noises, noises seeming extremely nearby. They were afraid that the Israelites were right on their door step. Unarmed and unprepared, they escaped with just their boots on.
Where did the noise come from?
G-d runs the world in a very systematic fashion!
When the Jews received the holy Torah, it was such a thunderous revelation that the overwhelmed Israelites screamed to Moshe begging that the voice should stop. It was too much to handle. That tremendous noise was put on pause and was conveniently infused where the Jews needed it most.
There is a fascinating incident about the famous commentator on the Chumash, the Abarbanel. He was one of the biggest Rabbis of his time. He was also, surprisingly, the finance minister of one of the super power countries of the time, Spain.
There is a fascinating incident about the famous commentator on the Chumash, the Abarbanel. He was one of the biggest Rabbis of his time. He was also, surprisingly, the finance minister of one of the super power countries of the time, Spain.
In the late 1400s, the Spanish Inquisition went into effect and the Jews were given the choice: leave, convert or die. Don Yitzchok Abarbanel packed his bags and left.
In his introduction to one of his books which he wrote later in his life, he says that he regrets ever taking public office. He felt that he could have spent his time learning and teaching Torah. “The reason I stayed in office was to pass legislation to make Jews comfortable while learning Torah and even that didn’t happen”. Well, his wish indeed did happen! It happened 500 years later, though. Abarbanel was the finance minister who was responsible for financing Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America. The Jews and Torah prospered in the United States. Every time a Jew opens up an Artscroll Gemara in Central Park, Abarbanel gets his percentage of the learning!
In his introduction to one of his books which he wrote later in his life, he says that he regrets ever taking public office. He felt that he could have spent his time learning and teaching Torah. “The reason I stayed in office was to pass legislation to make Jews comfortable while learning Torah and even that didn’t happen”. Well, his wish indeed did happen! It happened 500 years later, though. Abarbanel was the finance minister who was responsible for financing Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America. The Jews and Torah prospered in the United States. Every time a Jew opens up an Artscroll Gemara in Central Park, Abarbanel gets his percentage of the learning!