Mrs. Greenberg was teaching her first-grade class about saying blessings and praying.
"For example, children,” said Mrs. Greenberg “Before we go to sleep, we should sing shema.
“Who here says their prayers at night?"
Little Chaim answered, "My mommy says my prayers."
"I see," said Mrs. Greenberg, "And what does your mother say?"
Chaim replied, "THANK G-D, HE'S IN BED!
During the month of the holidays, we recite a special prayer, Psalm 27, by King David twice daily. In it, we say:
It is the poignant, powerful, and deeply spiritual request of King David: One thing I ask of you Hashem, one thing that I yearn for: that I may sit or live in the house of G-d all the days of my life. All he wants is to gaze at the delight of G-d, to spend time in His space.
And yet, when we turn to the commentary offered by our sages, we are astounded.
Rabbi Abba comments that David asked for one huge thing: royalty and kingship.
Really? We thought this was about piety and spirituality. “I want to sit in the house of G-d all the days of my life.” Was it about the ‘Game of Thrones’, power, and politics? I want to be the king!
Why would Reb Abba even suspect such deception in David’s prayer?! David’s words seem so genuine and refined: He asks to be with G-d all the days of his life; yet Reb Abba says: No! He just wants to be elected as a Monarch!
But there is a deep message here.
David’s life was filled with intrigue, clever maneuvering, escape, and trying to stay alive despite his numerous enemies. Everywhere he turned, someone was out to get him. His father-in-law, King Saul, tried to kill him many times. His son Absalom staged a powerful rebellion against him and almost managed to take his life. From close and far, the man was always on the run.
You would have thought a humble prayer for safety and security would be most appropriate: “G-d just give me a roof over my head and let me die a natural death.”
David, at some point, had to feign insanity, lest he be trapped by the Philistine king. Hounded and hunted like a wild animal, hungry, cold, and tired, poor David spent years in exile. What would you imagine should be the first prayer of such a man?
One thing I ask of the Lord this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to see the pleasantness of the Lord and to visit His chamber.
Caught in an almost hopeless situation, we expected David to ask for basic protection and rights. Or revenge on his enemies. Or a peaceful night of sleep. Yet David had a vision that transcended the battlefield. He did not allow the anxiety and stress of the moment to cloud what the goal of life is.
This is what Rabbi Abba meant: David did not pray like a beggar. He didn’t limit himself to the petty needs of the hour. He did not get consumed with the stress of the moment, though he was aware of it. Rather, “Malchut Shaal.” He asked like a king; he prayed like a sovereign. He was bold, broad, and undaunted in his perspective. David had a royal reach, a regal appetite, a kingly hunger for greatness.
David asked like a king: he never forgot that he was destined to become the great monarch of Israel. And a King, even if he is starving, remains proud, his vision large, his demeanor grand, his goals lofty, his purposes elevated.
Even as he fled his enemies, he did not think of revenge or just safety; he asked for ultimate greatness: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to see the pleasantness of the Lord and to visit His chamber.” He kept his eye on the goal of life.
What is the goal of life? What is the end goal of all? Yes, I want money. I want health. I want a home or a few homes. Yes, I want comfort, security, respect, friendship. But if I can have that, if I am a king, what do I ask for?
I want to be connected to G-d. I want to be me. I want to be one with myself, with truth, with reality. “I want to sit in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” I may be a tycoon, a king, a businessman, a housewife, a dentist, an accountant, etc. But whatever I do, and wherever I am, the end goal of all is: I want to be one with G-d.
This is one of the reasons we recite this Psalm during this time of the year. The question that confronts us during the season of the High Holidays is: how do we define our goals and ambitions?
Michelangelo famously said: “The greatest danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting it too low and reaching it.”
This is what we need to ask ourselves: How high can we reach? Are we just satisfied with mediocracy, like small, minded souls, or will we strive for great accomplishments like aristocrats of the spirit?
Of course, you need to be realistic and have your feet on the ground. Nonetheless, too many of us are afraid to think big and act great. We limit our horizons; we cramp our growth.
This is what Rabbi Abba meant: If you want to learn how to broaden your horizons in life, in terms of your business, your relationship, your family, your marriage, your commitments to G-d as a Jew, and your involvement in your community, look at David.
What is OUR royal reach as we usher in the New Year?
The great philosophy professor at City College in N.Y., Morris Raphael Cohen, was renowned as a fascinating, brilliant teacher. People would come to hear him from all over the world. Once a colleague who audited a class, said, "Morris, you were brilliant, but don't you think you were way over their heads?"
To which Professor Cohen answered, "I aim for where their heads should be!" aim high.
So, let’s set our personal and Jewish goals as high as we can imagine. What’s to stop you from becoming a more serious or more literate Jew in the New Year?
Sometimes aiming high, demands creativity, ingenuity, and even chutzpah and boldness.
We shouldn’t just strive for continuity but for eternity.
We don’t have to just take things for the way they are. If you want to change, be change agents!
There's a joke about an army captain trying to determine the religion of his men for their dog tags.
He calls each one's name and each step up answers affirmatively: "Jones” – I am Catholic, sir...
“O'Donnell” - I am Protestant, sir...
“Smith” – I am Unitarian, sir...
Then it’s Rabinowitz’s turn.
“Rabinowitz”
The little private gets up and stammers,
"Well, sir, you see, my family wasn't religious.... we did some of our traditions but mostly we... and the captain cuts him off, and says:
"Rabinowitz -Jewish!"
Friends let’s not stammer, lest avoid second-guessing, but instead focus and aim high at our special roles as Jews. Let’s strive to be like David, and we will see incredible results - for ourselves, our families, and our community.
A friend recently sent me this quote on WhatsApp that summarizes our well-advanced 21st century:
WELCOME TO THE 21st CENTURY! It read.
Our Phones - Wireless
Cooking - Fireless
Cars – Keyless
Food – Fatless
Tyres – Tubeless
Tools - Cordless
Dress - Sleeveless
Youth - Jobless
Leaders - Shameless
Relationships - Meaningless
Attitude - Careless
Babies - Fatherless
Feelings - Heartless
Education - Valueless
Children - Mannerless
Government - clueless
And he concluded: If you don't share this, you’re worthless!
But we are empowered to make changes, to achieve our true potential.
I want to share with you a true story:
At a graduation address, the world-renowned tycoon and philanthropist, CEO of Willis Group Holdings, Joseph Plumeri, asked students whether they heard of this big building in Chicago called the Sears Tower.
Of course, they all had. He reminded them that it’s the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. At completion in 1973, it surpassed the World Trade Center towers in New York to become the tallest building in the world, a title it held for nearly 25 years; it remained the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere until the completion of a new building at the World Trade Center site in 2014. More than one million people visit its observation deck each year, making it one of Chicago's most popular tourist destinations.
And then he shared with them how some years before, he told people that he was going to rename it the “Willis Tower.”
People laughed at him, telling him it was impossible. The name Sears has been there since 1973. “Who are you to come along and change the name?” they said to him.
He told them that Sears, with 140,000 employees, hadn’t been in the building since 1993 and he decided he wanted to rename it.
Joe Plumeri then met with the owner of the building which was 20% vacant and said, “I need 2% of the space.”
He negotiated the price and when the owner asked, “Do we have a deal?” he told him, “Almost, except for one small thing. You need a new name, a vibrant name, a name that signifies the future, not the past. I want to change it.”
In 2009, he moved in, and the name was changed to Willis Tower.
“When we dedicated that building”, Joseph Plumeri said, concluding his speech, “I was on the evening news with Brian Williams and he said to me, “Joe, after so many years it was called the Sears Tower, how did you get them to change the name to Willis?
“And I looked into the camera, and I said two words: “I asked.”
Friends, this is what I tell you today: Just ask! I ask for one thing!
Just have the courage to ask. To seek. To want.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yoseph Geisinsky
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