“You shall rejoice with all the good that the L-rd, your
G-d, has granted you and your household…” (Devarim/Deuteronomy 26:11)
This verse, near the beginning of this week’s Torah portion,
immediately follows instructions for bikkurim, which requires that we bring
the first fruits of our field to the Temple in Jerusalem as an expression of
gratitude to G-d.
Why, immediately following a bountiful harvest, such a great
accomplishment, would people have to be commanded to be happy?
Rabbis Yisroel and Osher Anshel Jungreis in their book Torah
for Your Table explain that Torah understands human nature, which never
allows a person to be satisfied or content with what he has. Instead, people compare
themselves and their attainments to those of others. We become jealous and think
we should have more. Our jealousy mars our joy.
Write the Rabbis Jungreis: “To overcome these negative
feelings, the Torah commands us to appreciate that whatever we have has been given
to us by G-d [Who] knows what we require for our well-being….If we absorb this
basic principle, if we bear in mind that it is G-d Who is in charge, that it is
He Who provides us with all our needs, then we will be blessed with simchas
hachayim [a life of happiness].”
As parents, we can only be as happy as our unhappiest child.
When our children are content, we usually are, too. If we want our children to be happy and well
adjusted, we must train them to focus on what they have, rather than what they
do not have, and teach them to express gratitude for what they have. There will
always be someone whom they perceive to be wealthier, more intelligent, or more
attractive. We must show our children how to find happiness and contentment in
all the good that G-d has provided them individually and personally, starting
with the simple gift of life which cannot be taken for granted.
No comments:
Post a Comment