“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.”
“You can feel anything. All is free for you to feel. But I guarantee you that if you allow yourself to feel envy and then to swim in it, that envy will destroy you and the people around you. Envy is unlike anger. Envy is not a right wing nor a left wing, it is not on either end of the balancing beam. Nobody needs it and I can assure you that once you give yourself to it, you will be eaten up. Envy can even eat up nations, casting them up against each other and pull a whole nation down into an internal collapse.”
Shaaaaaaaaaaaaalooommm Sweeeeeetest Friends!!!!!!
A guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut moed and Moadim Li-simcha!!! Hope you are ENJOYING this SUPER-JOYOUS Chag!!!!!!
Years ago I knew an AMAZING family of whom I was envious. They had it ALL!!! They were fun, cool, with it [even the parents!!], religious but not *too religious* that impeded their ability to enjoy themselves. Religious in a cool, fun way [not fanatics like the person I am today
] . They were $uper duper wealthy, well connected and well respected, good looking, smart, personable etc. etc. And they were all so close to each other!!! WOW!!! Whatta family!! Why couldn't my family be more like them??? If I couldn't be born into that family then if I could only marry into that family then my life would be PEACHES AND CREAM!!!! BLISSSSSS!!!! 4-EVER!!!!
I won't go into details but this family has had soooooooooooo many tzaros. It could be that there is not a family in Klal Yisrael that has had so many troubles. Like - problems up the kazoo!!! I won't go into detail so as not to give any hints about who I am talking about.... The Jewish version of the Kennedy's! Everything going for them and then everything that could go wrong - does!! Or so it seems. Look at JFK - He was sooooooooooooo handsome!! Bright!! Powerful!!! A beautiful wife with a few more spare wives to make life interesting!!! Then as he waves to the cheering crowd in Dallas it all ends so tragically. All that we have from him today is an airport....
“If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.”
LESSON: Don't envy others!!! You NEVER know what troubles they have had, are having and will have in the future. I have learned this lesson many times since.
This Shabbos, Koheles will be read in shul. The pasuk there says
וְרָאִ֨יתִֽי אֲנִ֜י אֶת־כׇּל־עָמָ֗ל וְאֵת֙ כׇּל־כִּשְׁר֣וֹן הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה כִּ֛י הִ֥יא קִנְאַת־אִ֖ישׁ מֵרֵעֵ֑הוּ גַּם־זֶ֥ה הֶ֖בֶל וּרְע֥וּת רֽוּחַ׃
I have also noted that all labor and skillful enterprise come from men’s envy of each other—another futility and evil spirit!
It is a GREAT lesson!!!
Instead of being envious, focus on all of your blessings and remember that NOBODY but nobody goes through life w/o having significant challenges. That is why we are here!! To have challenges and overcome as best we can.
We are Jews who are called ישראל as the pasuk says abt. Yaakov [today's special guest in the Sukkah!!!] כי שרית עם אלהים ואנשים ותוכל - We battle with angel and man and won!!!! We are battlers!!! Life is not MEANT to be peaches and cream!!!
So the BEST way to live is to view others with an עין טובה - be happy for their successes and share in their pain when things don't go their way. But never envy!!! It is misplaced, toxic and always based on false premises.
Much love and blessings!!!!
Much love and blessings!!!!
