From the Rabbi

After the narrative of the devastating flood, the Torah tell us about the Torah of Bavel, during which there was great unity among mankind, and humanity decided to build a tower to attempt to rebel against G-d. After building this tower, “Hashem descended to look at the city and tower which the bnei adam, the sons of man built.” Rashi famously asks, why are the builders of this tower here referred to as “bnei adam, the sons of man?” In Rashi’s own words, “who else’s children are they? Perhaps the sons of donkeys or camels? (Of course they are the sons of man!) Rather, they are the descendants of Adam HaRishon, Adam, the first man, who denied the good that Hashem had done for him when he blamed his sin ‘on the woman that you have to me.’ So too, these people denied the good, to rebel against the One who bestowed goodness upon them, and saved them from the flood.”

If you recall, one week ago we read how Adam and Eve succumbed to the terrible sin of eating from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When asked about it, Adam effectively passed on the blame to Eve, and G-d Himself, when he said, I are it due to “the woman that YOU gave me.” He denied the unbelievable kindness The Almighty did for him in blessing him with a life-partner– his beloved wife. Therefore, years later, when we see another egregious lack of appreciation in the form of the descendants of the survivors of the flood wanting to revel against G-d, they are referred to as Bnei Adam– Adam’s children.

The lesson for all of us is indeed very profound. One of the most terrible attributes a person could have would be to be a kafui tov– one who denies the goodness bestowed upon themselves. 

Conversely, one of the greatest attributes a person can possess is to be a makir Tov– A person who recognizes the goodness bestowed upon him.

A person could potentially have everything he could possibly ever want– good health, family, a decent-job. But if they do not recognize those blessings, and think everything is just coming to themselves, they won’t event notice the brilliance of those blessings.

And a person could literally seemingly have nothing, and yet be endlessly grateful, and therefore happy. 

This past Shabbos, I quoted a mind-blowing comment from former hostage Omer Shem Tov, who related how he would spend his time in the dark dungeon of Gaza talking to Hashem. He relates,  “Every night before I went to bed, there were five minutes when I spoke to G-d….. and I told Him , “Thank you. Thank you for everything I have, for the air I have, for my health. Thank you for the food I have on the plate, even if it's a half a piece of bread a day. Thank you for everything, thank you for everything. If I miss anything from my captivity, it was the way I spoke to Hashem , until today I try to do this, sometimes I can feel Him the way I felt Him there…”

I understand none of us are on this mind-blowingly lofty level. But If this unbelievable spiritual hero is able to see the good, and appreciate the good, from a tunnel in Gaza, perhaps we can begin to see the good in our lives as well.

We all have different challenges, and unique situations we find ourselves in, which can sometimes make it hard. But, unquestionably, if we open up our eyes, and reflect upon the abundance of blessings each of us have in our lives, we will be happier people.

May this New Year be filled with endless blessings and joy for all of us personally, communally, and nationally as we appreciate the endless bounty of blessings in our lives.