Warm Feelings
I have lived most of my life in Cleveland and there are a lot of good things to be said about living here. Weather, however, is not one of those. This winter in particular just doesn’t want to go away. So when my wife Miriam had to go to Miami for a conference I decided to join her for a quick getaway. Because of my work schedule as well as leaving the kids I was only able to go for 2 days and a night. Sometimes, however, you take what you can get.
Thank G-d the trip was amazing, albeit quick. And while the trip was certainly beneficial from a mental health standpoint as well as for my marriage, I have always maintained that the good feelings of a vacation usually last as long as the ride home from the airport. Before 24 hours have passed the trip is a distant memory.
While walking down Collins Avenue in Miami Beach enjoying the 80 degree weather, the bright sunshine, the clear blue skies and the relaxing sounds of the ocean nearby, I was struck by a thought, namely, “Why do I live in Cleveland?!” Ok. While that thought sometimes crosses my mind when I am in Florida, that was not actually the thought I am referring to. Rather, I was struck by the following.
We stayed in a pretty nice hotel on Miami Beach. Yet, despite the amenities the hotel had to offer I couldn’t wait to get outside and enjoy the nice weather. No matter how comfortable the hotel room was, I only had a little time to spend in Miami and I wanted to make the most of that time by enjoying the gorgeous weather.
That thought brought to mind a famous story told about the saintly Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan, better known as the Chofetz Chaim. The Chofetz Chaim was frequented by thousands of people who flocked to the small town of Radin in Lithuania to receive a blessing or just to bask in the glow of this spiritual giant who was recognized as the leader of world Jewry in his time.
One person who came to the home of the Chofetz Chaim was a successful businessman. He entered into the home and was shocked at the simple and meager surroundings. Knowing that the holy rabbi held the unofficial title of Leader of the Jewish world this fellow was shocked to see how simple and austere the living conditions were.
After greeting the rabbi, the businessman gathered the courage to ask the rabbi why he didn’t allow himself to indulge just a little and have some furniture that was an upgrade over the wooden bench and planks of wood that served as his dining room table. Rather than answer the man directly, the Chofetz Chaim responded in the time-honored Jewish tradition of answering a question with a question. "Where is your furniture?” the rabbi asked. “My furniture is back home,” he replied. “I am just passing through this city on my business travels. I don’t bring my furniture with me.”
“I too am just passing through,” said the Chofetz Chaim. “I was placed on this world for a short time but it is only a journey on my way to the final destination of all mankind. Just as you realize there is no need to bring along furniture with you on your travels, so do I have no need to take furniture on my travels.”
The Chofetz Chaim was trying to impart the lesson that the perspective of a Jew needs to be that this world is only temporary and we need to keep our focus on the destination as opposed to getting caught up in the journey.
Going back to my ruminations on Collins Avenue, I thought the hotel was a good metaphor for life.
The hotel (at least in my case) was not the destination. My primary goal was to spend my brief time I had outdoors. The hotel was simply a place to stay while enjoying my trip. If I were to get caught up in all that the hotel had to offer and not spend much time outside I would have lost out on what I came to Miami for in the first place.
Sadly, most of us do the same thing in life.
We are sent to this world for a (relatively) brief amount of time for a purpose. That purpose is to work on spiritual growth so that we can enjoy our final destination in the eternity that is known as Olam Haba, the World to Come. If we spend time and focus on the amenities of this world instead of accruing spiritual wealth we lose out tremendously on the opportunity we were given when we were sent here in the first place.
For someone on the level of the Chofetz Chaim this was clear as day. Why waste time and resources on fancy furniture when we are just passing through this place on our ultimate journey? What was simple for the Chofetz Chaim is something that requires much thought and self-introspection for us.
Life is a journey, not a destination. We need to focus on our destination and our priorities so that we can make the most out of our trip.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yosef
