Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 12 Tishri, 5784

Today’s portion is all about balance.  Ease and work.

There is blessing in things coming easy for us.  And there is blessing in things being challenging.

I grew up believing if you work hard, good things will come.  Things aren’t “supposed” to be easy. Living a life of ease was somehow connected to laziness.  I’m reflecting on this.

I know people who believe life is supposed to be easy – and those who work hard are “uneducated” because they were not able to develop a strategy to work “smarter” not “harder.”

In both of these philosophies, there is judgment.  And today’s portion seems to be addressing both.

If our lives are easy? Complacency is likely to set in.  Working is called for to get out of complacency.  Because maybe things are physically easy, but we need to be challenged emotionally and spiritually – and to do so we need to push ourselves physically.

If our lives are hard?  Being overwhelmed and feeling helpless may set in.  Self-care and ease are maybe what is called for. Taking rest (Hashem did create Shabbat, after all) and finding a way for some ease may be what is called for.

But we should meet each other where we are at.

Balance. Harmony. This is freedom.  This is expansion.

Where are we as we begin 5784?

Going back to Yom Kippur; we had an interesting discussion about the fast.

Someone shared how the fast was easier for them because for most of their year, they focused on the external – their jobs, etc.  Yom Kippur was the one day a year they had set aside for self-reflection.  It was a day all about “doing the work” spiritually and emotionally.  For them – the fast was in the background, because it was one more thing taken out of their lives to distract from doing the work.  Yom Kippur’s fast was easy – but it was meaningful because they did the emotional and spiritual work.

There were those of us who connected with ourselves and did emotional and spiritual work most of the days of the year.  Me? I journal daily. I meditate. I reflect.  The fast was EXTREMELY difficult for me. And multiple times I wanted to give up on it. For me the physical difficulties of the day were salient to me – and making it through the fast was extremely rewarding.

These are both sides of the same coin. Balance. Harmony. Ease. Work.

What are your thoughts?

From my commentary a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Tishri 17, 5783

Good morning! Today is the third day of Sukkot; and the beginning of the “middle” of Sukkot (Chol Hamoed) here is some Info on the days:

https://www.chabad.org/…/1000452/jewish/Chol-Hamoed.htm

Let’s dig into the portion!

We are blessing each of the tribes, and today’s tribes are Zebulun, Issachar and Gad.

Moses tells Zebulun to succeed when they go out to work, and Issachar to succeed in their tents of Torah where they will establish the calendar.

Their work was important and would help the Jewish people in their freedom know when to come to Jerusalem to make a sacrifice.

Moses says that Zebulun (and Issachar) will be nourished by the abundance of the seas and by valuable things hidden in the sand.

To Gad, Moses says “Blessed is He who grants an expanding territory to Gad who lives like a Lion.” Remember – Gad took territory outside the promised land, but planned to be first to fight when they were crossing over the Jordan. He went first despite already having his inheritance. He could have taken the easy way out; but didn’t. The blessing for this was to bless them with more land!

What do we take away today? I see the diversity of the Jewish people. There are those of us at ease going out for work. Traveling, maybe going to an office. Into the field. There are those who are at ease at home, studying torah, creating things (like a calendar). And Moses seems to be saying “ease is good.”

And, at the same time, resting in ease also can make us complacent. Gad could have lived a life of ease. They risked their easy life by going to battle for their family; for what Hashem asked them to do.

Both ease and risk are blessed. I wonder if when we are struggling with difficulty, we need to be blessed with ease. And if we have ease in our life, we need to be blessed (and bless others) with action!

So. What do you need? Are things difficult? Maybe rest and take it easy. Care for yourself.

Is life easy? Maybe challenge yourself; do a mitzvah for your family? There are lots of opportunities to bless and fight for your family.

Maybe this is the takeaway today?

What are your thoughts?