Am I Wrong to Join the Rat Race?

A particular piece from the Me'or Einayim in Parshas Ve'eschanan struck me hard this past Shabbos. This is particularly so because I'm working hard studying for the bar exam now (which I'm taking tomorrow and the next day). The piece also struck me because I'm planning on earning my "gold and silver" working very long hours at the job I'm IY"H starting in November. Here's a summary/translation of the relevant parts from the middle of the first piece in Ve'eschanan:

The root of all of the desires, pleasures, and ways of this world are "gold" and "silver." Money is the means through which one can attain all of the desires and pleasures of this world. But their source in the upper world are Ahava (love of Hashem, in the case of silver) and Yirah (fear of Hashem, in the case of gold). [Reb Nachum then proves this with various verses] Since gold and silver are rooted in Ahavas Hashem and Yiras Hashem, the verse "Mine is the silver and mine is the gold," (Chagai 2:8) applies to it. And "mine = for my sake." Meaning that silver (love, desires) and gold (fear and anxiety) are meant as means to come to love of Hashem and Yiras Hashem.

When man desires gold and silver, runs after it day and night wihtout rest, chases after his livelihood, and amasses wealth, he falls into the trap of the yetzer hara. This in turn results in one being cut off continually from the Creator of the world. This is a trap laid out before all of the living. In fact, most people in the world come to sin by cutting into others' livelihood, hurting others financially, stealing, and the like. Such people do not believe in the fact that everyone has only what Hashem desires them to have and has absolutely nothing from anyone else (Yuma 38b). This is why the 600,000 letters of the Torah (which correspond to the 600,000 souls of the Jewish people) cannot touch one another in a Sefer Torah; because even though the Torah is one unit, each letter (and Jewish soul) is separate and one may not touch that which is designated for another person. (Ibid.)

If one is smart and knows and believes this (that all of the desires and fears of this world are meant as means to assist one in drawing himself close to the root of those desires and fears, Ahavas Hashem and Yiras Hashem), then he would not run after his livelihood day and night. And as Shlomo Hamelech (source?) said, "אם לא היה האדם רודף אחר פרנסתו, היה פרנסתו רודפת אחריו." "If one would not chase after his livelihood, his livelihood would run after him."

It is the nature of things on a lower level to run after things on a higher level to be nullified into them and elevated through them. The majority of the world who run after the physical world, and are cut off from Hashem, place themselves on a lower level than the physical things of this world, which are rooted in the highest levels of Ahava and Yirah. Therefore, they run after gold, silver, and livelihood all of the time because those things exist on a higher level than them.

But a Jewish soul that is connected to the Creator of the world and runs after Ahavas Hashem and Yiras Hashem directly (as opposed to running after making a living, gold, and silver, etc.) is thereby connected to the ultimate source. Such a person is therefore on a higher level than all of the gold and silver which are less connected to the Divine source than this Jew is because they are a more constricted (lower) form of that light. This is why this person's livelihood runs after him; because he is on a higher level than it is.

If a person does as he should do, as we mentioned above, the livelihood which is designated to him will run after him so that it can be elevated through him to its root from which it came...

I know that later in the fall, IY"H, I'll be working very long hours. This sounds like I'm falling right into the yetzer hara's trap. On the other hand, since I cannot think of any alternative right now which wouldn't constiute a dereliction of my duties as a husband, father and Jew, how could I not do what I'm planning to do?

I think at my current level of lack of connectedness to Hashem, if I tried to go back to not working too hard, it would not work in any case. My wife pointed out an analogy to what is says in Eruvin 13b, that when one runs after gedula, gedula runs away, but if one runs away from gedula, gedula persues him. She correctly pointed out that when one runs away from greatness, but is looking over his shoulder, hoping greatness will follow, he is still essentially running after it. Here too, if I did not pursue a livelihood fully, hoping that it would chase after me, I would essentially still be running after it and would certainly not merit Shlomo Hamelech's (?) promise!

I'm not sure there are any real answers here. The best I can figure it, if I can remind myself in tiny hisbodedus'n through each day that everything I'm running after are rooted in Elokus and if I ask Hashem constantly to help me elevate the hidden Elokus in everything I'm involved in to its source, then maybe I'll increase my connecttion to Hashem. And if do that, maybe in a few years some non-hishtadlus-intensive parnasa will just come knocking at my door, just begging me to leave the rat race behind and spend a lot more time on Avodas Hashem... Who knows...

Picture courtesy of istockphoto. Please donate to my son's cheder by going to minivanraffle.org to buy a raffle ticket. The drawing for a new minivan, car, or $20,000 cash will be IY"H Chanukah time. $100 for 1 ticket. $360 for 5. Where the form says "Referred by," please write "Dixie Yid." Tizku l'mitzvos! Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

Rabbi Lazer Brody in Five Towns Last Night - Audio Shiur

Rabbi Lazer Brody's drasha in the Five Towns last night was a big success. We planned for about 30 people maximum. But there were almost 60 people there. Thanks to Rabbi Brody, several people who helped solicit sponsorships, and well over 20 people who came forward to help sponsor the shiur, and to all the attendees, it was a big success.

It was an eclectic crowd and many people got to speak with Rabbi Brody after the shiur. I received a number of requests to have the shiur recorded from people who knew that they would not be able to make it. Therefore, thanks to Reb Chaim, who recorded the shiur, I would like to present a wav recording of the shiur.

The very beginning of the shiur is not in the recording because there were some slight tecnical difficulties with the recorder, but the following is the beginning of the story Rabbi Brody opened up the shiur with... Poking fun at people like himself who come to America to raise money for worthy institutions in Eretz Yisroel, he told the following story:

A galach (priest) back in Feudal Europe noticed that while plagues and sickness were afflicting the gentiles in the town, the Jews did not seem to be afflicted by these things. The priest went to the rabbi to ask what the secret was to their immunity from these diseases. The rabbi told him that all Jews keep a mezuzah on their door, and that they are therefore procted from many forms of danger in their homes.

The priest asked if he could buy a mezuzah to put on his door as well. The rabbi responded that it was not one of the mitzvos that a gentile may not perform, so he saw no problem with it and assited the priest in obtaining a mezuzah, which the priest installed on his door.

Soon aftwardward, the town was overrun by cossaks who raided Jewish homes.

But to hear the rest of the story and the punchline, you will have to listen to the shiur. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen to streaming audio or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download the shiur. If it were up to me to title the shiur, I would call it, "Achieving Peace of Mind By Making Peace With Hashem."

Picture courtesy of R. Lazer Brody. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.