- "Trust in the Lord and do good, rest
on earth and nourish faith"
- (Psalms, 37: 3)
- Rivka Olenick
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- It is difficult, if not impossible to have
perspective. God is all-powerful, all wise, just and beneficent. It is
difficult to see God's justice - when we believe that we see only
injustice in the world. What we see is man's power and clever
manipulation, and man's evil destruction while innocent people in
Israel are suffering and many have died. We suffer with them, they are
our brethren, our family. And the rest of the world does not come to
our aid but condemns us and undermines who we are as a people... Where
is the justice that is supposed to be meted, each according to his
evil deed. How do we deal with the world's denial of God's chosen
people and the denial that the land of Israel was designated for us?
At the same time, how do we maintain trust in God, while life all
around us appears to defy justice and we do not see God's protection?
Trust in the Lord: When a person devotes his/her life to the service
of God, a person has real security. This is the only security there is
and this security is based on trust. A person realizes if they live
according to God's plan as a Jew, then he/she has no need to find
security in anything else. This is the purpose of our existence, as
the Jewish nation and individually. Knowing that this is the purpose
of our existence should give a person tremendous security. Because
this is the only reason we were created. It is only God who provides
us with our intelligence, talents and abilities. It is He who allows
us to enjoy our good fortune and everything that we acquire and
achieve in this world - even when it seems we have no protection in
the world. The Jew has a specific mission in life, which completely
revolves around serving the Creator and being an example of
righteousness and goodness to others. By definition, our mission
provides us with all the security we need. We must try to stay
steadfast in our faith and belief that God knows everything. After
all, He created us, we are HIS nation, his children and our covenant
with God is eternal.
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- Do good: By doing good, we direct our energies
in fulfilling the commandments as often and as much as we can. This is
service, and this is doing good. This is what gives us true
fulfillment in our lives and this is what God wants of us. Don't be
fooled by what the rest of society calls "good," which is
finding ways to seek never-ending pleasure and fantasy. This has
nothing to do with how the Torah defines the "good." The
only good that matters is the good that God wants you to do. When
deciding on an activity, a person only has to ask: "Will this
find favor in God's eyes?" As said by King David, "Seek and
find your greatest sense of comfort with God. Desire and take delight
only in those pleasures of which you need not be ashamed in God's
presence. In fact, these pleasures should give you joy because you
know that you may enjoy them in his presence since they have come to
you through His bounty and they find favor in His eyes. Even amidst
joys and pleasures, you remain with your God." Therefore,
directing our energies to serve God is good, while directing our
energies to serve only ourselves is not good. Do not be concerned with
whether others appreciate your aspirations to serve God, or not. Or
even whether they encourage you to or not.
Rest on earth: This means we should seek and secure for ourselves, a
quiet, undisturbed place to live. And live side by side as neighbors,
each as individuals within a peaceful and harmonious existence. While
everything around you may be constantly changing and uncertain, make a
stable dwelling for yourself. But do not be so absorbed by your
"place" that you forget your purpose in life - which is to
do the will of God.
Nourish faith: We are all vulnerable and easy prey to the instability
of life. Yet each day we should think about the greatness of God, and
the true purpose of our lives as God planned for us. Try to live each
day as if it were our last, and serve the Creator with all our heart,
soul and all our might, as it says in the Shema, that is our purpose.
Because maybe we won't live past today. God has provided us with the
"how" to fulfill our purpose. By making a greater effort to
be involved in prayer with greater concentration, Torah study, the
commandments, especially tzedaka and trying harder to improve our
character flaws - which is all part of "how" we nourish
faith. This is what gives us strength and courage to be involved in
God's will. And this is what helps us to cultivate in our mind love
and fear of God. We must try every day to be really involved in the
"how." And teach our children and inspire others to be
involved in the "how" so they can nourish their faith. If we
continue to direct our lives towards the derech Hashem, the way of
God, God will assist us.
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