“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”– Winston Churchill
SHAAAALLOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM SWWEEETEST FRIENDSSSS!!!
In this week's parsha we read:
אֵיכָ֥ה אֶשָּׂ֖א לְבַדִּ֑י טָרְחֲכֶ֥ם וּמַשַּֽׂאֲכֶ֖ם וְרִֽיבְכֶֽם:
How can I bear your trouble, your burden, and your strife all by myself?
RASHI!!!!:
מלמד שהיו אפיקורסין. הקדים משה לצאת, אמרו, מה ראה בן עמרם לצאת, שמא אינו שפוי בתוך ביתו. איחר לצאת, אמרו, מה ראה בן עמרם שלא לצאת, מה אתם סבורים, יושב ויועץ עליכם עצות רעות וחושב עליכם מחשבות:
and your burden: This teaches that they [the Israelites] were heretics: If Moshe was early leaving his tent they would say, Why does the son of Amram leave so early? Perhaps he is having some Shalom Bayis problems in his house?” If he left late, they would say, “Why does the son of Amram not leave? What do you think? He is [probably] sitting and devising evil schemes against you, and is thinking up plots against you.
We Jews are a ROUGH BUNCH!!!!
What did Moshe answer the Jews when they cast aspersions on him??
HE DIDN'T ANSWER!!!!
Lesson: Very often, the best response is no response!!!!
Rav Meir Chodosh was once walking with the Alter of Slabodka in Chevron. There were some Arab boys who started screaming at them. R' Meir responded in kind until the boys ran away. The Alter said: That is not what a Ben Torah says. R' Meir asked what the appropriate response of a Ben Torah is. The Alter said - NO response!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Saying nothing sometimes says the most.
Emily Dickinson
Anyway, why did the Jews speak so derogatorily of Moshe? What did he do to them that justified their disparagement??
Rav Dovid Heksher ztz"l [he was a Rebbi in Yeshivas Kol Torah in Bayit Vegan] explained based on the Rambam that the job of the Navi is to give people rebuke. So how do you deal with someone who is giving rebuke and you don't like what he is saying [b/c he is RIGHT!!!]? You say "You are no better than we are !! You are actually worse!!!" This way - you can keep doing what you want.
So the Jews said about Moshe - "How can he tell us what to do?? He himself has problems!! He himself is crooked!!!"
“Those who cannot attack the thought, instead attack the thinker.”
An old trick!!! Divert any criticism against oneself by attacking the person who is voicing the criticism. The problem with that approach is that it SEVERELY impedes one's own growth!!!
“If you are moving forward in your life, If you are progressing personally, professionally emotionally, spiritually – you will be happy.”
- Tony Robbins
You want to grow/?? LISTEN CAREFULLY to what those close to you are saying about you!!! Don't get defensive!!! Don't go on the OFFENSIVE!!! Absorb the words and use them as a source of personal growth and self expansion!!! NONE of us are perfect. So put the ego [acronym "E'dge G'od O'ut] aside, IMBIBE in the words and lo and behold - you will find yourself becoming a MUCH BETTER PERSON!!!! That is how we grow!! We find our weaknesses and then FIX them!!!
“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it. Rather, it’s that we aim too low and we reach it.”
- Michelangelo
Why is there no Beis Hamikdash? Not only b/c our ancestors sinned!! Chazal say that if the Beis Hamikdash isn't built in our times it is as if WE destroyed it!!! So WE have to make the tikkun. WE can build it b/c we are partially responsible for the destruction.
Imagine a man goes to the doctor and the doctor has a scary diagnosis but he won't tell b/c he doesn't want to make the guy feel bad. No doc, TELL ME!!! If I know what I have then I can take medication and be healed!!!
We have medication for our spiritual ills. It is called TESHUVAAAAAA!!!!!!! We are sooooooooooooooooooo lucky!! We are alive!!!! We can fix EVERYTHING!!!!
This MAMESH ruins my bad 9 days mood!!! So UPLIFTING!!! We don't NEED legalized marijuana to get high. We have TESHUVA!!! SELF GROWTH!! KIRVAS HASHEM!!! INSAAAANNNEEEE!!!!
May we merit to have the highest-holiest-sweetest-teshuvadikest-lisening-to-rebukest-Shabbos-Chazon-followed-by-an-easy-fast-with-TREMENDOUS-TZIPIYAH-LI-YISHUA-anticipating-the-speedy-but-not-weedy-redemption!!!!
MUCH LOVE
ME
