WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
“Would you tell me please which way I ought to walk from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat “I don’t much care where-” said Alice, “Then it doesn’t matter which way to walk,” said the Cat.
FROM ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
You’ve just been asked to put together a jigsaw puzzle. Having done many such puzzles before, you’re excited to get started. You pour out all 1,000 pieces, spreading them out across a large table. You then pick up the lid to the box to look at what you’re putting together. But there’s no picture! It’s blank! How will you ever be able to finish the puzzle without knowing what it looks like, you wonder? If you only had a one-second glimpse of what it’s supposed to be. That’s all you’d need. What a difference it would make! Without it, you don’t have a clue where to even start. Now think about your own life and your 1,000 pieces. Do you have an end in mind? Do you have a clear picture of who you want to be one year from now? Five years from now? Or are you clueless?
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens (p. 74). Simon & Schuster. Kindle Edition.
(א) יסוד החסידות ושרש העבודה התמימה הוא שיתברר ויתאמת אצל האדם מה חובתו בעולמו ולמה צריך שישים מבטו ומגמתו בכל אשר הוא עמל כל ימי חייו.
(1) The foundation of piety and the root of perfect service [of G-d] is for a man to clarify and come to realize as truth what is his obligation in his world and to what he needs to direct his gaze and his aspiration in all that he toils all the days of his life.
If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.
―Jim Rohn
WHY IT'S DIFFICULT
והנה זה דבר שהשכל יחייבהו ודאי. כי אחרי שיש לאדם דעה והשכל להציל את עצמו ולברוח מאבדון נשמתו, איך יתכן שירצה להעלים עיניו מהצלתו. אין לך פחיתות והוללות רע מזה ודאי. והעושה כן הנה הוא פחות מהבהמות ומהחיות אשר בטבעם לשמור את עצמם ועל כן יברחו וינוסו מכל מה שיראה להם היותו מזיק להם. וההולך בעולמו בלי התבוננות אם טובה דרכו או רעה, הנה הוא כסומא ההולך על שפת הנהר אשר סכנתו ודאי עצומה ורעתו קרובה מהצלתו. כי אולם חסרון השמירה מפני העורון הטבעי או מפני העורון הרצוני דהיינו סתימת העינים בבחירה וחפץ, אחד הוא.
Reason certainly obligates this. For after a person has knowledge and reason to save himself and escape from the destruction of his soul, how is it conceivable that he would willingly blind his eyes from saving himself?!
There is certainly no debasement and foolishness worse than this. One who does this is lower than beasts and wild animals whose nature it is to protect themselves, escaping and fleeing from whatever seems harmful to them. One who walks along in his world without contemplating whether his ways are good or evil is similar to a blind man walking on the bank of a river. His danger is certainly very great and his calamity is more likely than his escape. For negligence in guarding oneself from danger due to natural blindness and negligence due to willful blindness, namely shutting one's eyes by choice and desire is one and the same.
ואמר עליהם (ירמיה ח): אין איש נחם על רעתו לאמר וגו' כלה שב במרוצתם כסוס שוטף במלחמה. והיינו, שהיו רודפים והולכים במרוצת הרגלם ודרכיהם מבלי שיניחו זמן לעצמם לדקדק על המעשים והדרכים, ונמצא שהם נופלים ברעה בלי ראות אותה. ואולם הנה זאת באמת אחת מתחבולות היצר הרע וערמתו להכביד עבודתו בתמידות על לבות בני האדם עד שלא ישאר להם ריוח להתבונן ולהסתכל באיזה דרך הם הולכים.
Regarding his people Yirmiyahu said: "no man regrets of his evil, saying, What have I done? Each one running to his own course, like a horse rushes into the battle." (Jer. 8:6) The explanation is that they would pursue and go by the momentum of habit and conduct, without leaving themselves time to consider their deeds and ways. Thus they fell into evil without even seeing it. In truth, this is one of the cunning strategies of the evil inclination, to relentlessly burden people's hearts with his service so as to leave them no room to reflect and consider which road they are taking.
אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁתְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב רֶמֶז יֵשׁ בּוֹ כְּלוֹמַר עוּרוּ יְשֵׁנִים מִשְּׁנַתְכֶם וְנִרְדָּמִים הָקִיצוּ מִתַּרְדֵּמַתְכֶם וְחַפְּשׂוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיכֶם וְחִזְרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה וְזִכְרוּ בּוֹרַאֲכֶם. אֵלּוּ הַשּׁוֹכְחִים אֶת הָאֱמֶת בְּהַבְלֵי הַזְּמַן וְשׁוֹגִים כָּל שְׁנָתָם בְּהֶבֶל וָרִיק אֲשֶׁר לֹא יוֹעִיל וְלֹא יַצִּיל, הַבִּיטוּ לְנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם וְהֵיטִיבוּ דַּרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם וְיַעֲזֹב כָּל אֶחָד מִכֶּם דַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא טוֹבָה.
Even though the sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is a biblical decree, it has an intimation, as if to say: "Arise from your slumber, you who are asleep; wake up from your deep sleep, you who are fast asleep; search your deeds and repent; remember your Creator. Those of you who forget the truth because of passing vanities, indulging throughout the year in the useless things that cannot profit you nor save you, look into your souls, amend your ways and deeds. Let everyone give up his evil way and his bad purpose.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Now, the goal of any thing is more connected to [the original] thought and intellect than the thing [itself] from which the particular goal is derived. The goal is also closer to thought than the thing is; for, “last in deed is first in thought” (Sabbath Evening Liturgy). Thus, the end and the goal is “first in thought” and close to it. And from the goal, the deed evolves.
For example: When the thought occurs to someone to build himself a house, certainly the house is not erected all at once. Rather, wood has to be prepared; each piece of lumber has to be cut and planed as is necessary. Afterwards, the house can be built and completed. Therefore, the completed house, which is the goal of the construction and its conclusion, was “first in thought.” Thus we find that the goal is closer to the thought than the beginning of the deed.
You may not realize it, but you do it all the time. Beginning with the end in mind, that is. You draw up a blueprint before you build a house. You read a recipe before you bake a cake. You create an outline before you write a paper (at least I hope you do). It’s part of life. Let’s have a begin-with-the-end-in-mind experience right now using your tool of imagination. Find a place where you can be alone without interruption. There. Now, clear your mind of everything. Don’t worry about school, your friends, your family, or that zit on your forehead. Just focus with me, breathe deeply, and open your mind. In your mind’s eye, visualize someone walking toward you about half a block away. At first you can’t see who it is. As this person gets closer and closer, you suddenly realize, believe it or not, that it’s you. But it’s not you today, it’s you as you would like to be one year from now. Now think deeply. What have you done with your life over the past year? How do you feel inside? What do you look like? What characteristics do you possess? (Remember, this is you as you would like to be one year from now.) You can float back to reality now. If you were a good sport and actually tried this experiment, you probably got in touch with your deeper self. You got a feel for what’s important to you and what you’d like to accomplish this next year. That’s called beginning with the end in mind. And it doesn’t even hurt.
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens (p. 75). Simon & Schuster. Kindle Edition.
Once upon a time there was a poor man who heard that in a faraway land, on the other side of the deep and dangerous sea, there is a place where diamonds were as plentiful as dust — one need only bend down, scoop them up, and fill one's pockets.
After a long and arduous journey, the man arrived in this wondrous land. Everything that had been said about it was true! Diamonds of all sizes were strewn around everywhere — even the sand was comprised of billions of tiny glittering gems. A group of children gathered to watch the strange stranger kneeling on the ground and stuffing his pockets with stones and pebbles, but our friend was too busy to notice them.
To celebrate the end of his poverty, the traveler ordered a luxurious dinner in the most expensive restaurant in town. Feeling generous, he handed the waiter a small-sized stone and exhorted him to keep the change. Needless to say, he spent that entire night washing dishes in the kitchen to pay for his extravagance.
He quickly learned that these pebbles, each of which would be worth millions back home, were utterly worthless. Here, the currency with which people paid for goods and services was fish. In fact, few people remembered that fish were originally consumed as a food. No one was bothered by the stench which emanated from their wallets, pocketbooks and money closets. Indeed, a reeking establishment exuded the sweet aura of old money.
Once he overcame the disappointment of his lost dream, our traveler was revealed to be a most resourceful and ambitious individual. He worked hard, invested wisely, and before long he was one of the wealthiest people in the land. His businesses were headquartered in the most rancid section of old downtown and his private vaults held thousands of tons of fish.
Finally, it was time to return home. He telegraphed his family: "Am rich. We shall never want for anything in our lives. Prepare triumphant homecoming." He loaded his fortune on a fleet of ships, and set sail for his hometown.
Family and friends, dressed in their best, awaited him eagerly at the seaport. Of course, there was nothing that could be done with his shiploads of rotted fish except sail back a few miles from shore and dump them into the sea.
----
The soul, in its abode on high, hears wondrous tales of a faraway land. To get there, it must cross a deep and treacherous sea. Great treasures, it is told, are literally free for the taking in this place. A coin given to charity, a prayer uttered, a candle lit to usher in the Shabbat, a kind word extended to a troubled fellow — the higher realms, lacking physical bodies and a material reality, can only dream of such treasures.
The soul descends into the material world and discovers that everything that had been said about this place is true. Diamonds litter the streets. Wherever one turns, await countless opportunities to do mitzvot, good and G‑dly deeds. One need only bend down to the ground and fill one's pockets.
Yet the value of these "diamonds" are not appreciated in this alien land. "Riches" of an entirely different sort bekon, so that when the time comes to return, many a soul finds itself lugging home shiploads of fetid fish.
1. Think of a person who made a positive difference in your life. What qualities does that person have that you would like to develop?
2. Imagine yourself in 20 years. You are surrounded by the most important people in your life. Who are they and what are you doing?
3. If a steel beam (six inches wide) were placed across two skyscrapers, for what would you be willing to cross? A thousand dollars? A million? Your pet? Your brother? Fame? Think carefully.
4. If you could spend one day in a great library studying anything you wanted, what would you study?
5. List 10 things you love to do. It could be singing, dancing, looking at magazines, drawing, reading, daydreaming— anything you absolutely love to do
6. Describe a time when you were deeply inspired.
7. Five years from now, your local paper does a story about you and they want to interview three people—a parent, a brother or sister, and a friend. What would you want them to say about you?
8. Think of something that represents you—a rose, a song, an animal. Why does it represent you?
9. If you could spend an hour with any person who ever lived, who would it be? Why that person? What would you ask?
10. Everyone has one or more talents. What are your talents? Use the ones listed above or write your own. 10