In this week's Torah Portion we read about G-d deciding to have the Jew stay for 40 years in the desert.
On a very different note,yesterday was a milestone for me as I celebrated a different forty years, my 40th birthday.
What is a Birthday?
A Birthday is a day when we remember the day we were born, which was when G-d said you matter and are integral part of his master plan. It is a day to stop and remember why we are here and how we are doing with our life mission and goals, and think about how can we better ourselves and improve what we do for the world around us.
In the Ethics of our Fathers it states what has since become a famous quote, “Ben Arboim LeBinah”, “40 years is the age of wisdom”.
40 hopefully provides forty years of perspective, including infancy, childhood, adolescence, the “can do it all” attitude of the twenties, and the learning of real life that is represented and expressed through our thirties. Although years don’t go by the passport, birthdays are milestones on which we can use the experiences and learning of the past to help see and appreciate the intricacies and deeper purpose of life with a more profound and knowledgeable perspective.
As I mark this milestone and think back to the past and reflect on the future, I am grateful for all the blessings I have in life and for the blessings I have been endowed with by G-d during these first 39 years of my life, from my wonderful family to the great community we live in. At the same time, I am thinking a lot about the future and what I need to do in order to continue to grow as a person in learning, action, Mitzvot and more, and hopefully create a better and bigger impact on the world around me.
There is a powerful Chassidic anecdote about the famous Chassidic Rebbe, Reb Zusha of Anipoli who as he lay on his deathbed, his disciples noticed that he was crying. They tried to comfort him, but to no avail. One student then turned to his Rebbe and said to him, "Why are you crying? You were almost as wise and knowledgeable as Moses and as kind and generous as Abraham, and what do you need to cry about”?
Reb Zusha responded, "When I pass from this world and appear before G-d, G-d will not ask me, 'Zusha, why weren't you as wise or knowledgeable as Moses or as kind as generous as Abraham,' rather, G-d will ask me, 'Zusha, why weren't you the best Zusha you could be?' Why didn't you fulfill your potential and life mission based on who you are as Zusha? Why didn’t you succeed in doing Zusha’s own unique part and purpose in the world? That is why I am crying now."
It is a powerful story that has layers of meaning and ideas intertwined in it. Yet the takeaway that I am focusing on right now is, how do we make sure that we are living up to and maximizing our potential in this world and being the best ME and INDIVIDUAL that we are meant to be? How can I go forward and make sure that every day is lived in a more meaningful and constructive way, that truly reflects who I am, outside of comparison to others, but rather reflected on my own inherent purpose.
As I think about this, I offer a virtual L’Chaim and a Toast to all of you, that we always appreciate the gift of time and the power of each moment that we as individuals have been gifted with. As we do so, may we all succeed in connecting with our inner self and being the best person who we as an individual need to be, so that we live up to our potential as Jews, parents, children, leaders, teachers, professionals or whatever else we may be.
Good Shabbos / Shabbat Shalom
Yisroel
PS Please join me this Saturday morning as we continue the celebration at the Kiddush after services!