Rabbi Levi Yitschak of Berdichev stood before the Holy Ark of the great day, Yom Kippur. He cried out, “Lord, You forbade us to write anything on the Holy Days. The only exception is to save a life. Therefore, O Master, even You are bound by the Law of not writing – except to save us by inscribing our names in the Book of Life.”
Life often seems like a contest to see who gets the prize for longevity, or amasses the most money, who becomes the most prolific writer, or any number of infinite things when we measure ourselves against other people. “If someone loses, we win” goes the general attitude.
A religious mindset is one that does not pit us against one another but one that cheers on our neighbor. We root for other to cross the finish line alongside us. Life is not a contest of “us versus them” but a journey where when one succeeds we all do better.
Comments