Rabbi Frand on Parshas Ki Sisa
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 364, The
Melacha of Memachek. Good Shabbos!
Appreciate It While You Have It
When the Torah teaches about Moshe receiving the Luchos [Ten Commandments]
on Tablets of Stone, the Torah says that they were written by the Finger of
G-d (etzba Elokim) [Shmos 31:18]. No further details are provided. Later in
the parsha, just prior to Moshe's breaking the Luchos, the Torah reveals
more about the Luchos -- they were miraculously readable from both sides,
even though the letters penetrated the entire width of the stone [32:15-16].
The Torah describes the Luchos in superlative terms: "The Luchos were G-d's
handiwork, and the script was the script of G-d, engraved on the Luchos."
The logical location to describe the unique nature of the Luchos was the
moment when they were first given, rather than when they were about to be
broken. The Torah does the exact opposite. Why is that?
I saw an observation from the Shemen HaTov. Perhaps the Torah is teaching us
a lesson that not only applies to the Luchos, but also applies to life in
general. The lesson is that whenever we possess something for a long, almost
indefinite time, we fail to appreciate what we have. It is only when one is
on the verge of losing that which he possesses, that he first begins to
realize its magnificence and beauty. When we love and are close to people
and we think that we will have them indefinitely, human nature is to take
the people for granted. However, when we are faced with the specter of
losing somebody, and we know that our time with him or her is limited, then
we suddenly begin to realize the preciousness of what we have and of every
moment with that person. Our attitude then totally changes.
Perhaps the pasuk is trying to emphasize this lesson. When Moshe descended
from the mountain with the Luchos, and was about to break them, then we
suddenly pause. For the first time, we consider the uniqueness and the
magnificence of those Luchos.
This is a lesson that has countless examples throughout our lives. One of
the most appropriate examples relates to Yeshiva students. I tell this
lesson over to my students frequently, but I still do not feel that I say it
often enough. The overriding sentiment of anyone who ever learned in a
Yeshiva is that they did not appreciate the experience while they had it. In
retrospect, they look back and see how precious the experience was when they
did have it.
When I travel and meet former students, they invariably tell me that they
remember my lecturing them that they should take advantage of their years
in Yeshiva because they will be the 'best years of their life'. Time and
again they tell me, "You were right!" While one is in Yeshiva, the time
stretches out in front of him and can seem infinite. Unfortunately, that
is not the case. It is a limited amount of time.
A person's approach becomes different when he realizes that his time in
Yeshiva is limited -- for example, if he has the luxury of returning to the
Yeshiva for a short period after taking off a year or two.
The food in Yeshiva might not be all that it could be and dorm life has its
problems. There are many little 'complaints' that one has when he lives in
Yeshiva. But the overall experience is so rewarding and so rich and so
unique. The test is to see the forest and not get caught up in the trees.
And so it is with child rearing. In requires significant effort to raise
little children. They can sap someone's energy and drain him physically. But
when the person grows older and sees his children grown up, he will look
back and say, "those wonderful years flew by all to quickly".
And so it is with our relationships with our parents. Yes, there can be
tensions and hassles. Sometimes life can be trying for both parents and
children. But many people fail to realize the blessing that we have when
we can still turn to a parent.
One of the biggest tests of life is to appreciate a situation while we are
still experiencing it. Life is far too fleeting because we are overwhelmed
by the nitty-gritty and the little bumps in the road. We simply do not have
the time and peace of mind to appreciate what we have.
This is the test of life that cuts across generations. It faces people in
all aspects of their lives. We even take our jobs for granted. There is a
fallacy in the mind of many Americans who look anxiously forward to their
65th birthday, when they can retire. After a person retires, what will he do
the next morning? There are only so many times that a person can read the
newspaper. If a person has the physical ability to be active and productive,
that should be valued and acted upon.
This is the lesson that the Torah is teaching us. We only notice that the
Luchos are the miraculous handiwork of G-d, when we are about to lose them.
The challenge is to appreciate what we have while we still have it.
This write-up was adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tape series on the weekly Torah portion.
The complete list of halachic topics covered in this series for Parshas
Ki Sisa are provided below:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection
of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from
Project Genesis, 1-410-654-1799.
