In life we so often just want tranquility, predictability, and the ability to have a calm rhythm and dynamics that we live by. This is true in the personal realm what we wish and hope for our families, and this is true what we hope for collectively as a community, people, for Israel and as a global society.
Yet all too often, the wind is knocked out of our sails or we get hit by turbulence and storms, that we never saw coming. Whether it is regarding our own lives, our children's journeys, health, job security, or antisemitism, Israel and so much more.
When that happens, we all struggle with staying afloat, staying focused, being positive, and navigating the course and heading towards our goals and destinations.
We know what we need to do, but doing it isn't so easy.
Jacob, in this week's Torah portion, sought to live with tranquility after all the hardships he had been through. Yet G-d had other plans for him, and the dramas of life were just beginning to unfold.
It was through those dramas that he wished were not happening, that he and his children were going to shape the course of history. This would be done through the way they reacted, overcame pitfalls, mistakes and challenges, and how despite everything they stayed focused on who they were and what their mission was in life.
Just in the last few days, I discovered different people who have been through so much, been injured physically and emotionally in such a deep way, yet despite everything are productive, thriving and making so many good things happen in this world. Each one is an inspiring story in another way, and each one reflects this idea embodied by Jacob, that the changes, growth and so much more in life, is sometimes most apparent and most impactful, through the challenges and the overcoming of storms and difficulties, than simply through the times of tranquility.
Today is an auspicious day on the Chabad Calendar, it is the day that the first Chabad Rebbe, The Baal Hatanya, was released from jail after having been falsely accused by those who opposed the new approach and teachings that he sought to bring to so many.
We consider it a spiritual Chassidic Rosh Hashanah of sorts and celebrate this day and the blessings that it represents.
Like his ancestor Jacob, the hardships that came his way through so much of his life, just made him more determined than ever to stay the course, and reach even more people through his teachings, guidance and impact.
May the journey we each chart be calm and tranquil, yet if we do face storms, may we be blessed with the success of tapping in to our innate G-d given ability to navigate and over come the storms that are in our path.
Shabbat Shalom & Happy Chanukah!
Yisroel