“Greed, envy, sloth, pride and gluttony: these are not vices anymore. No, these are marketing tools. Lust is our way of life. Envy is just a nudge towards another sale. Even in our relationships we consume each other, each of us looking for what we can get out of the other. Our appetites are often satisfied at the expense of those around us. In a dog-eat-dog world we lose part of our humanity.”
SHALLLOOMMMM SWEEETEST FRIENDS!!!!
Years back, I saw an interview w/ a Yid [not yet Frum] who ran a Ponzi scam [anyway - if one steals, cheats and lies, by definition he is not religious, regardless of his costume]. It wasn't REALLY heavy money, like Madoff. It was only about 400 million dollars. ביני ובינך מה היא - Between you and me what is such a paltry sum!!!
Anyway, he was asked - Why did you do it???? You were a top graduate of Harvard law school. You ran a law firm with dozens and dozens of people working for you. You reached the TOP!!! You basically had it ALL!!!
I will never forget his answer as long as I live [unless G-d forbid I get dementia which I am going to try to avoid - may Hashem bless us all with our high functioning cognition until 120!!!! A-men! A-woman!!!]: I was GREEDY!!!
“Most of the mess that is called history comes about because kings and presidents cannot be satisfied with a nice chicken and a good loaf of bread.”
Did you hear that? GGRRRREEEEEEEDDDD. What was the result? He lost everything!!! As I write this he languishes in jail. Instead of sitting in his mansion just enjoying G-d's BEAUTIFUL green earth - he sits in a small cage where he has been sitting for years.
“We cannot negotiate with people who say what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable."
[ The Berlin Crisis: Radio and Television Address to the American People (The White House, July 25, 1961)]”
― John F. Kennedy paraphrasing Pirkei Avos [His almanah Rebbetzin Jackie later had a long time intimate relationship with a Yidish speaking Yid who was born into a frum family - probably b/c JFK learned Pirkei Avos with her].
What was his downfall?
He didn't learn Parshas Korach. Korach lacked nothing!!! He was a CHASHUVE LEVI, carrying the HOLY ARK!!! מטועני הארון היה!! He was RIIIIICCCHHHH. Hence the expression "עשיר כקרח". He was well respected. He was married with kinderlach!!! So what was his problem????
No wifi? An annoying canker sore? His flight to Israel was cancelled b/c of the plague??
NO!!!!!! None of those!!
“Wine and women make wise men fall and forsake God's law and do wrong."
However, the fault is not in the wine, and often not in the woman. The fault is in the one who misuses the wine or the woman or other of God's creations. Even if you get drunk on the wine and through this greed you lapse into lechery, the wine is not to blame but you are, in being unable or unwilling to discipline yourself. And even if you look at a woman and become caught up in her beauty and assent to sin, the woman is not to blame nor is the beauty given her by God to be disparaged: rather, you are to blame for not keeping your heart more clear of wicked thoughts. ... If you feel yourself tempted by the sight of a woman, control your gaze better ... You are free to leave her. Nothing constrains you to commit lechery but your own lecherous heart.”
― Anonymous, Dives And Pauper
He wanted MOREEEEEEE!!! He wanted to be the leader of the whole tribe and he wanted to be Kohen Gadol. OK - so he rebelled. Did he get what he wanted?? No. He actually LOST everything!!! He found himself underground with nothing. Lights out!! [See Chullin 60b how the same thing happened to the moon]. He didn't control his ambitions.
WHATTA LESSON!!!!
Don't be jealous of other people. You have EXACTLY what you need in order to fulfill your purpose in life!!!! Daily we say שעשה לי כל צרכי. Hashem fulfills all of our needs. Says the Rav ztz"l in his siddur: Everything we need to have in order to serve Hashem, we have. And everything we don't have is also necessary in order to properly serve Hashem. We think - if i had that job/home/wife/social status etc. etc. THEN we would be truly happy! It is worthwhile keeping in mind that the people who have things that we want ALSO have thoughts from time to time that they would be happy if only.... and sometimes this is if only they had something that you already have [but take for granted!!].
“There are people who are never content, never appeased, forever dissatisfied—who continually look to what escapes them, convincing themselves that if only they could attain that one desire outside of reach they would be happy. It seems almost pointless to give to these people because their eyes immediately shift from the gift to stare miserably at the portion held back. Their wants, demands, expectations, appetites are never satiated, thus they refuse to be happy. And you cannot make them so.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, and Grumblings for Every Day of the Year
So do yourself a favor!!! Be satisfied with what you have, fill your heart with gratitude, have an עין טובה ["buen ojo" in Espanyol] towards those who have what you lack and "leibt a tog" ["live the day" in French].
Have a happy-with-what-I-have-and-thrilled-with-what-I-don't-have-Shabbos and a GUT CHOIDESH in addition to a חודש טוב!!!!
W/ much love and friendship,
Me
