The Toughest Battles of Life
Life is all about choices. The definition of choice is an act of selecting and making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities. Some people choose the breezy, easy road, but some are stuck on the bumpy one. Our Torah is full of these scenarios of the giants of the yesteryears that fell or some that have risen to unbelievable spiritual heights. With your permission, let’s begin.
The Parashat Shemot 2:11-15 says, "He saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. He turned this way and that, and saw that there is no man, so he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand." When Moshe’s crime was reported, he fled Egypt, ruled in another country as it says in Midrash, went to Yitro, was in jail, went through plenty of hardships, and then became the leader of the nation.
The Parashat Vayeshev 39:11 says, "Yoseph saw no man in the house" - when Potifar's wife tried to force him so he could be with her, he ran from her leaving his garment in her hands, which she used as a piece of evidence against him. She magnified this situation to the point where he was found guilty and had to be in jail for 12 years, and only then became the viceroy of Egypt.
In the Book of Prophet Samuel verse 24:1-16 says, that David had an opportunity to kill Shaul HaMelech when he was alone in the cave away from his troops, but chose to cut the corner of his garment - just to "get the king's attention", and to stop the king from further attempts to kill him. David could have killed him, but he chose not to.
All 3 had opportunities to do what was convenient or necessary at that moment.
- Moshe Rabbenu could have passed by, and not stood up for some slave, who was being beaten mercilessly by an Egyptian.
- Yosef could have slept with Potiphar's wife and he could have given in to those emotions of lust.. and hey, no one would have known.
- David could have killed King Shaul since that was what Shaul HaMelech had been trying to do to him for a long time. But David would have done it first since he had the opportunity to do that at that moment, and he could have always relied on the law - if he was coming to kill me, I could kill him first.
All the people above chose not to give in to those safe, familiar, and easily triggered emotions that drive one to sin. They went against those emotions and fought them - even though later their lives did not become smoother because of their choices. That ability to make hard and uncomfortable choices is a trait of the mighty, those who choose to go toward Hashem while making the unpopular choice.
Chava, gave Adam HaRishon a fruit from the Tree of Good and Evil, and he ate it. In Bereshit 3:6 says, "וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה כִּ֣י טוֹב֩ הָעֵ֨ץ לְמַאֲכָ֜ל וְכִ֧י תַֽאֲוָה־ה֣וּא לָעֵינַ֗יִם וְנֶחְמָ֤ד הָעֵץ֙ לְהַשְׂכִּ֔יל וַתִּקַּ֥ח מִפִּרְי֖וֹ וַתֹּאכַ֑ל וַתִּתֵּ֧ן גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ עִמָּ֖הּ וַיֹּאכַֽל׃ - When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate."
It's interesting how Hashem is referring to Adam, ַתִּתֵּ֧ן גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ עִמָּ֖ה - And she gave it to her husband and he ate, but when the text is written in the Sefer Torah, it has no vowels and no dagesh, and the word לְאִישָׁ֛הּ - Le Yisha could be also be translated as To a Woman - לאישה - Le Yisha. Ouch! It feels like Hashem has belittled Adam HaRishon and called him a Woman, because Adam didn't stand up to his wife, didn't protest, and ate when she offered him the fruit. That exact fruit from that tree that Hashem told him not to eat from. He had only this one commandment to keep, but he went along and sinned and went against the word of G-d. And this "habit" was passed on to his descendants - to the billions around the world, The Bnei Adam - The Sons of Man - that are on the same wavelength as Adam HaRishon - sinning, and walking in his footsteps.
How about you?
Do you rise or constantly fall when you battle in your life — with your obligations towards G-d or in your dealings with men? Do you give in or stand strong against the evil inside of you?
The teshuva or repentance process and the 613 commandments is the ladder to climb out from your current fallen state and to rise and become Adam as he was in the Garden of Eden before he ate from the Tree of Good and Evil.
Moshe Rabbenu worked on his character traits, gave us the Torah, learned the Torah, and achieved the state of holiness that Adam was in before he committed that sin.
Yosef HaTzaddik learned with his father, who taught him the secrets of Torah, who became a holy person, with the title of HaTzaddik, in whose merit the Red Sea parted when the nation of Israel was coming out from Egypt - HaYam Raah Ve Yanos, The sea saw and fled. (Tehillim 114:3).
David HaMelech went through many hardships but made repentance because of his deep devotion and prayer. He has climbed out from the level of Ben Adam and achieved the level where Hashem has called him His beloved. The Zohar Chadash in Parashat Lech Lecha says that he has become the fourth leg of the Merkava, the Divine Chariot of Hashem.
This is the toughest battle of all, but this is what separates the mighty from the weak.
Today - you can choose to stand with Adam and keep sinning, and falling, or be on the side of the mighty, and become mighty yourself and join the ranks with Moshe Rabbenu, The Righteous Yosef, and King David.
So, The Son of Man - pick your side...
Shmuel Katanov
