“…the donkey continued climbing.”
Shalom to the Ascent community from the holy city of Tsfat, during these most special days of Elul.
The Torah tells us that much less effort is required to feel the energy of these days here in the Holy Land than outside of Israel. The approach of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the days when each Jewish person passes before G-d as his Judge – Who will decide who will live, who will die, who will prosper and who will struggle – is felt here in the Galilean mountains, absolutely palpable.
No sane person waits for the court case to prepare their defense. That is why each of us has to make an effort to tip the balance now, during the month of Elul, our month of preparation before the Days of Judgment, filling our days and nights with good deeds, mitzvot (commandments) and the study of Torah.
I want to a share a story that I heard recently from Rabbi Nechemia Wilhelm, the Chabad representative in Thailand, that made a big impression on me.
A fellow chasid was travelling alone by car from Montreal to New York.
All of a sudden he became very tired and decided he would find a place to sleep and then continue his journey. When he could not find anywhere to stay, someone suggested the local old age home might have an empty room. And that is where he spent the night.
In the morning he decided to ask if there were any Jewish residents. Maybe there was someone he could speak to about Judaism or help put on tefilin (phylacteries).
Yes, there had been one Jewish man – who had passed away the previous day, with no known relatives. The local Catholic priest had been contacted to deal with the burial. The chasid explained the great importance of a Jewish burial and finally, the manager agreed. After signing all the needed paperwork, the manager said that he can now happily give the chasid the corpse!
This was not what the chasid had in mind! While he appreciated the great merit of Met Mitzvah (burying the dead), it certainly was not convenient for him, but now there was no choice. He put the corpse in the car (thank G-d it was winter), and got to work to locate a local (or distant) Jewish community that would agree to bury this Jew. There was no money for the funeral expenses, an additional complication. After a few false starts, an agreeable synagogue rabbi was located. Now the problem of the expenses. The rabbi related that years before, a local congregant had donated a large space in the cemetery, expenses paid, for any member of the congregation who could not afford the fees. When the necessary paperwork was completed it was discovered that man needing burial was none other than the person who had donated the plot. The stunned Rabbi said that the donor had just disappeared a few years ago and no one could find him. It appears he had been admitted to the nursing home. And now, by G-d’s divine plan, would be buried in the plot that he himself had donated.
Nothing is random.
What can we learn from the above true story?
I will tell you by sharing another story that made a deep impression on me.
There was once a donkey that fell into a pit. It was stuck there for hours and cried out heartbreakingly for help. The farmer who owned the donkey was trying to understand what had happened and what could be done about it. He decided that the donkey was quite old and the pit needed to be filled anyway. Since it was not worth the time or trouble to save the donkey, the farmer invited his neighbors to help fill the pit with dirt and, however sadly, bury the donkey alive. Everyone grabbed their shovels and got to work.
At first the donkey continued crying out, then it calmed down. The farmer was curious, looked into the pit and was shocked. With every bit of earth and rocks that was thrown in by the farmer and his friends, the donkey shook it off and used the growing pile of rubble to climb up from the bottom, one step at a time, going higher and higher. The neighbors continued shoveling – and the donkey continued climbing. Eventually, it reached the top of the pit, and to everyone’s amazement stepped out having escaped from death.
The moral of this story for you and me:
- The seemingly “bad” or “negative” or “troublesome” in this world is here for a reason. Nothing is just random.
- Every negative situation can be used for good, if we use it to elevate ourselves.
- Even a donkey can become wise as soon as it stops wallowing in self-pity and gets to work.
My friends, let’s get to work before it is too late.
May each and every one of you be signed and sealed for a good and sweet new year, Shaul