Unfortunately there exists a perverted outlook upon one’s relating to Hashem and His Hashgacha in the world. There are those people of low self esteem who believe in Hashem but say that the sun shines for everyone else but not for himself due to his unworthiness of such a chesed. The only reason why he basks every day in the sun’s benefits is because he belongs to the group policy association and he derives from Hashem’s creation “by the way” of someone else’s righteousness. However, Chazal tell us that everyone is obligated to say בשבילי נברא העולם that the world was created for me. The fact that Humanity came about through the creation of one Man in contrast to all other creations that emerged by the species, gives testimony to this dictum.
The Makkos in Mitzrayim also disproves this distorted perspective. The Medrash states that in the first Makkah of Blood the Yidden became wealthy. The natural reason was that when a Yid would drink the blood it turned into water, but for the Egyptian it remained blood. However, if the Egyptian would purchase the water from the Yid it turned into water. It was an opportune time to start a lucrative business and become wealthy and the Yidden of course took full advantage of the situation.
However, there is a deeper way of understanding how the Yidden became the richest people in the world by this Makkah of the Blood and that is by the process of REFRAMING. Chazal say that if a Yid and an Egyptian would drink from the same cup of water simultaneously with straws, the Yid would be drinking water and the Egyptian would land up drinking blood. The phenomenon of this Makkah is not as if Hashem erected some type of imaginary Mechitza between the water and the blood. Rather the essential nature of the water changed between the Yid and the Egyptian, and it was transformed into being completely opposing natures and molecular makeups.
Through this Makkah, the distorted thinking of the individual who possessed low self esteem became corrected. When it rains, one must realize that every drop has its destination and address and unlike the Mail Delivery System, it is exacting. No one ever mistakenly landed up in his mailbox with mail belonging to another address. Hashem wants you to get every drop of water that falls on your property. It is a special delivery package to you and to you alone and not because your neighbor is a tzaddik who deserves the rain and you get merely from his “Shirayim”.
In the Plague of Blood there was an incredible display of supernatural proportions that the same cup of water can have two molecular natures to it on every ounce according to the drinker. To one straw Hashem delivered H2O and to the other blood. How greater can the Hashgacha from Shamayim be? If one needed a vote of confidence from Hashem that He believes in your spiritual success and His concern for your life, then you experienced at this Makkah. But it is not only about water that he drinks or with which he waters his garden or fills his swimming pool that was specially delivered to him by Hashem Rather it is about every Tovah that Hashem sends him every day and every moment.
Take the Makkah of Darkness. The Torah says that the Egyptian was frozen into immobility during this plague in contrast to the Yid who had delighted in the light to go freely as usual. Imagine a Yid standing next to an Egyptian what the scene looked like. The Egyptian appeared just like a motionless human figure in a Wax Museum surrounded by a thick enveloping darkness. Yet only one foot away from him the sun shone for the Yid. How can the same sun shine rays of light to one person and darkness to another, as they stand side by side? It is thereupon that the Yid realized that the sun doesn’t shine only for the tzaddikand he reaps its benefits because he lives on the same block. The sun is shining for him because Hashem wants it to shine for him. The rising of the sun and its radiant light from which he benefits so much is a heavenly statement that you are indeed an individual who deserves the chesed of Hashem to reap its rewards and benefit from it.
Through this new reframed perspective through which the Yid observes the bountiful chesed of Hashem which fills the universe, the Yid gains a new appreciation of how wealthy he really is. Chazal say Poverty is in the mind. His new portfolio of assets now show the sun, moon, stars, heaven, earth, air, water just to name a few of Hashem’s creations. The fact that the humongous sun with a diameter of 864,575 miles shines for you in the morning up until night, is a stupendous one of a kind asset of real estate, especially with such an incredible lighting capacity, will keep you rich for generations and generations of light years. And the great thing about such a property is that you don’t have to live there, you don’t need a security patrol to watch it, you don’t have to pay taxes on it, there is no need to rent it to help pay the mortgage, and you don’t need a sprinkler system on a timer to water the grass and foliage.
We say in Tefillas Alainu Leshabaich בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת that Hashem is G-d in the heavens above and the earth below. A Chassidishinterpretation to this declaration is that when it comes toשמים spiritual matters always look ממעל above you, individuals who upgrade in their Avodas Hashem and are on higher levels than yourself. This way you will not fall into complacency and stunted growth. In contrast isועל הארץ that when it comes to physical and material matters such as houses, cars, bankbook, high end technology always look מתחת people and families who have much less than you. This way you will be happier in your lot that Hashem has given you. Ruchniyus up, Gashmiyus down, is a formula that will make one spiritually sound and growth oriented, enriching your life and making you satisfied with what Hashem saw fit to give you to help you fulfill your mission during your lifetime. The acronym of שמים ממעל הארץ מתחת is שממה which means desolation and emptiness. This comes from jealously, ungratefulness and entitlement feelings. Such a wonderful formula will save you from a meaningless life and transform every aspect of one’s life into purpose and self fulfillment together with appreciation of Hashem’s relationship with you.
If you want to instantly win the Trillion State Lottery all you have to do is to reframe your situation using the above formula. Visit a sick person, a person missing one or two limbs, a poor family, a family with a compromised child, a childless couple, a soup kitchen, a large family without a car, a YerushalmiShabbos table where there is a lot of challah, dips, and an eight of a chicken for each of its hungry members, The list goes on and on about the people who are much more unfortunate and needier than you. All of a sudden your complaining about not having a ________ will cease and you will put on a big smile and thank Hashem for all the gracious limitless bounty that he has showered upon you and keeps on giving to you.
Gut Shabbos
Rav Brazil
