Be the Best You
By Aharon Loschak
Rebbe, I want to see Elijah the Prophet,” a chassid once told the Baal Shem Tov.
“I’ll tell you what to do,” said the Baal Shem Tov. “Get two boxes and fill one with food and the other with children’s clothes. Then, before Rosh Hashanah,
travel to such-and-such a town. On the outskirts of town, right where
the forest begins, is a dilapidated house. Find that house, but don’t
knock on the door immediately; stand there for a while and listen. Then,
shortly before candle-lighting time at sunset, knock on the door and
ask for hospitality.”
Off he went. He arrived at the home, and stood in front of the door,
listening. Inside, he heard children crying, “Mommy, we’re hungry. And
it’s Yom Tov and we don’t even have decent clothes to wear!” He heard the mother answer, “Children, trust in G‑d. He’ll send Elijah the Prophet to bring you everything you need!”
The chassid stayed for the holiday, sharing his food and clothes with the destitute family. But Elijah the prophet he did not see.
When he returned to the Baal Shem Tov with complaints that he didn’t see Elijah, the Rebbe told him to go back for Yom Kippur and do the exact same thing.
Again, he stood in front of the door, listening. Inside he heard
children crying, “Mommy, we’re hungry! We haven’t eaten the whole day!
How can we fast for Yom Kippur?” “Children!” said the mother, “Do you remember before Rosh Hashanah I told you, ‘Trust in G‑d!
He’ll send Elijah the Prophet, who’ll bring you food and clothing and
everything else you need!’ Wasn’t I right? Didn’t Elijah come and bring
you food and clothing? He stayed with us for two days! Now you’re crying
again that you’re hungry. I promise you that Elijah will come now, too,
and bring you food!”
Then the chassid understood what his master, the Baal Shem Tov, had meant. And he knocked on the door.
Eliezer’s Choice
Parshat Chayei Sarah tells the story of Isaac’s marriage. His father, Abraham, designated his servant Eliezer as a matchmaker, sending him off to his native land to find a suitable wife for Isaac. The Torah
devotes a significant amount of space to this story, repeating it over
in its entirety, giving us a window into Eliezer’s thoughts. All things
considered, Eliezer was the prime example of a good servant, faithful to
his master and his ways.
Indeed, the Midrash links Eliezer to the words in Proverbs1 that speak of an “intelligent servant,” commenting:
An intelligent servant: This is a reference to Eliezer. What was his
intelligence? He figured: I am destined to indentured service . . . it’s
best to be a servant in Abraham’s house and not any other.2
This is a puzzling Midrash.
Is this supposed to be some sort of praise for Eliezer? It doesn’t
sound so praiseworthy. All it says is that Eliezer made an economic and
entirely self-serving choice to be a servant in the best-possible home,
rather than be unfairly treated elsewhere. What’s so special about this
choice that makes Eliezer a model for “wise choices?”
Eliezer’s Brilliance
Sometimes
discovering the answer requires searching for more information, deeper
insight, or a little debunking. Other times the answer is right there,
in the question itself.
This is one such instance. Eliezer’s brilliance was exactly that: his choice to stick with Abraham.
Why is that so brilliant?
Think about it. For whatever reason, Eliezer’s “station” was one of
servitude. Considering the hand he was dealt, Eliezer made the following
calculation: I’m not going to look elsewhere. I’m not going to try to
be something I’m not. Rather, I’m going to make the best of my current
situation and choose the here and now. I’m going to be the best servant
in the best home and be really good at it. And with that, I’m going to
be happy.
This, my friends, is indeed quite wise and brilliant. How many people
do you know who are looking elsewhere to find their inner happiness and
their role in life? How many people wake up each morning and find joy
and meaning in their current situation? How many people truly appreciate
what they’re already doing?
I would venture not many.
But Eliezer was an extraordinarily wise man. He loved what he did and
found his purpose right there. And sure enough, his story lives on in
the verses of our parshah, earning him a prominent place in our collective imagination.
Be Wise
Eliezer’s wise choice is one we
can and should all make. So many of us are frustrated with our lives,
nursing some sort of image of what life “should be,” throwing up our
hands in despair at how it’s turning out.
Did your parents tell you that you could be anything you wanted? Did
your teachers convince you that you would be the next president of the
United States or the greatest inventor since Nikolas Tesla? Were your
friends always telling you that you were the life of the party and would
be super popular and successful as an adult? Or perhaps you read
something when you were younger and created a fantasy image of what your
life would look like.
And then you wake up one fine morning, look around, and realize that
very little, if any, of that is your current reality. You’re not the
president, you’re not particularly wealthy, and the picture of a tidy
family with smiling faces is, well … not exactly the case.
What do you do?
Many people make the decision to bolt. To run away to something or
somewhere else. To chase that fantasy and try to create the picture of
yesteryear. They itch to be something different, to find a new reality, a
new job, a new family, a new place to live, a new circle of
friends—whatever it takes to climb out of their monotonous, mediocre
life.
It is here that Eliezer’s wise choice starts to look positively
genius. Find the meaning in your current life. Forget about the fantasy.
G‑d
has engineered matters for you to be right where you are, and if you’re
smart about it, you can find tremendous joy and meaning in it.
Who knows? You may just be Elijah the prophet himself.3
Footnotes
1.
Proverbs 17:2.
2.
Midrash Bereishit Rabah 60:2.
3.
This essay is based on Sefat Emet, Chayei Sarah, 5649.
By Aharon Loschak
Rabbi Aharon Loschak is a writer, editor,
and rabbi, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with his family. Editor of JLI's
popular Torah Studies program, he is passionate about teaching
transformational Jewish ideas.
Art by Sefira Lightstone.
Our in-house artist, she is an editorial illustrator who creates art to
empower the Jewish collective online. Past clients have included the
Forward, Mosaic Mag, and the Jewish Press. You can follow more of her
work on her personal instagram account where she focuses on activism
@sefiracreative.
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