- לרפואת חיה יוכבד פייגע בת מיכל יהודית בתיה, טליה אביגיל בת שרה דניה ולע"נ הרב דוד יצחק בן עקיבא יהודה Rabbi David Keehn
And lizchus Moshe Yehuda ben Pesha Dina and Ephraim Shlomo ben Chana Dina. Hashem should shower upon them His blessings!!
SHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAALOOOMMM SWEEEEEETEST FRIENDSSS!!!
What is the KEY pasuk in the story of Yaakov receiving the Brachos from Yitzchak instead of Esav??
IMHO [In My Humble Opinion or I Must Hate Overdraft] - ויעקב איש תם ישב אהלים. Yaacov was a תם who sat in the tents.
What does THAT have to do with the story?? That pasuk before the entire episode??!!! And for crying out loud - have you ever met an Orthodox Rabbi named Tom?? So why on EARTH would Yitzchak be called that???
[Quick shout out to "Tom" Seaver. He too sat in the tent, called by Goyim "the dugout", until he was called out to cause grown men to swing a piece of wood three times in succession hitting nothing but air and then throw away the wood while expressing their deepest feelings in words that my high school rebbe would call "Nivul Peh". He died about a year ago and Nancy, his devoted Rebbetzin, dearly misses him, as do his daughters Sarah and Chana (Anne). Once we are on the topic - In 2013, it was reported that Seaver nebuch suffered from memory loss, not even remembering long-term acquaintances or what the "steal" sign is and experiencing symptoms of "sleep disorder, nausea, and a general overall feeling of chemical imbalance" [which many athletes suffer from just as a result of their proclivity for using foreign substances that cause such reactions...]. According to former teammate Bud Harrelson, Seaver was "otherwise doing well". Reminds me of the old joke "So Mrs. Lincoln, besides that "little incident", how was the play??". "Otherwise doing well". How is your grandfather? Oh, he is dead. But otherwise he is doing great].
Rashi explains that a person who is not ingenious in deceiving people is called תם - plain, simple. Yaakov, the pasuk tells us, was not like his brother Esav who was a deceitful person. Yaakov not only didn't deceive people - he couldn't do so even if he tried!!!
Then Rivka tells him [based on a prophecy she had as per Unkelos] to get the Brachos in a deceitful way. He was VERY VERY uncomfortable with the idea - to say the least. But in the end he conceded and did it anyway. Despite his extreme discomfort.
And ya know what - that act of leaving his comfort zone earned him the Brachos from which we still benefit until this very day!!!
Lesson: Brachos come when you leave your comfort zone!!
Another case in point: Avraham. Bringing Yitzchak as a human sacrifice was just NOT his "thing". But he did it ANYWAY [until he was stopped just before the buzzer]! And that earned HIM special Brachos!!!
כִּֽי־בָרֵ֣ךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ֗ וְהַרְבָּ֨ה אַרְבֶּ֤ה אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ כְּכוֹכְבֵ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְכַח֕וֹל אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־שְׂפַ֣ת הַיָּ֑ם וְיִרַ֣שׁ זַרְעֲךָ֔ אֵ֖ת שַׁ֥עַר אֹיְבָֽיו׃
I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes.
Like - WOW!!
Yaakov also stepped out of his comfort zone when he spent all those difficult years in the house of Lavan. But that is where the foundation of our people was built. He would have preferred to stay in his comfortable home in Monsey and his second home in Shaarei Chesed but that wasn't what the circumstances called for. So he didn't have his shteibel and his favorite mikvah or his Golden Flow cholov yisrael - but he THRIVED!
I derive inspiration from Lubavitchers. They move to such bastions of Torah and Yiras Shomayim such as Vietnam, Kentucky [they call themselves "Chabad of the Bluegrass". BARUCH HASHEM "bluegrass" has been legalized in many States. Actually - the color doesn't matter. Black Lives Matter!!!! So does Blue Grass!!!
], Siberia [called "Chabad of the Frozen Solid"] and China [called "Chabad of the Covid-19"]. They leave their comfortable communities in places like Crown Heights and Kfar Chabad in order to help Jews in spiritual and physical need. So tooooooooootttaallllyyyyy out of their comfort zones. But they do it b/c it is the right thing to do [according to their Rebbe ztz"l]."The comfort zone is a mental state that does not allow personal growth. It may be okay to be there for a while, but if you want to continue to grow and adjust to new situations, this is not a place to stay.
Although this comfort zone may seem nice (because it allows us to always follow the “automatic pilot” position), it is not sufficiently stimulating. Ultimately, staying there will make us feel empty.
Between you and me … what is it that keeps you anchored there? Surely you want to step up, be brave and take on the world. But you don’t. You may be suffering, but do not move a finger because you are in your comfort zone. Who knows what could happen if you face the anxiety, abandon your past and fight for what you’ve always dreamed of? If you can push through, and out of, your comfort zone, you may find that an exciting and new world awaits you!
Want more reasons? Read on…
You will become a stronger person.
Once you step out of your comfort zone, despite being afraid, you may see that it was no big deal. Feeling insecure in the face of change is natural. That fear provides a warning that the road may not be easy. It becomes a problem when fear immobilizes you. The first step is to start recognizing what scares you is the uncertainty. It’s important to approach it with a positive mentality.
If you fall from time to time, you will grow as a person. As you continue to move forward, over time, you’ll look back and be proud of yourself. Your personal development begins here. Identify what will motivate you and what you want to change. Take the first step toward that. Isn’t it worth it?
You will be more creative.
Leaving the comfort zone stimulates creativity to meet new possibilities and break what is routine. A study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology (2012) showed that students who spent a semester outside their country had higher scores on two tests of creativity than those students who had stayed in their home country.
On the other hand, another study found that the personality trait of “open to experience” (one of the big 5) is the best predictor of creative achievement. This personality trait is characteristic of individuals who tend to take risks. They challenge themselves or try new things constantly.
It allows you to gain self-confidence.
Leaving your comfort zone and taking steps to achieve your goals will have positive effects on your self-efficacy beliefs (or confidence). This concept was initially introduced by Albert Bandura, a psychologist who developed Social Learning Theory, which explains the regulation of motivation and human action.
Therefore, as you push out of your comfort zone and test yourself, you will see how mastering certain skills will increase your confidence. A positive sense of self-efficacy is associated with positive thoughts and aspirations, less stress and anxiety. Nothing bad about that!
It will help you continue your personal development.
When we are young, we are more likely to take risks. As we get older, we begin to fear failure. How do we push through this learned helplessness and paralysis (do you know the “analysis paralysis”?)? This fear takes a serious emotional toll on us unless we change the way we think.
In his book Auto-Renew, the writer John Gardner says: “We paid a heavy price for our failures and this is a major obstacle to our growth. This causes our personality to not develop and does not allow the exploration and experimentation (of our world). There is no learning without some difficulty. If you want to keep growing, you must overcome the fear of failure. “
You will meet new people and live new rewarding experiences.
Leaving your comfort zone allows you to have new experiences and to engage in activities that you haven’t before, all while opening you up to meet new people. If you can try this, you are open to all sorts of possibilities you may not have thought possible.
There is an old phrase: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone, “ which is often credited to Neale Donald Walsch. Maybe that’s true and it’s time to start living the life you want. Using these tips, you just might get there."
BELOOOVVEEDDDD FRIENDS!!!! We are all comfort seekers. It is part of our nature. Inextricably stamped on our DNA. We get into the car and turn on the AC or heat - depending on the weather. We all sleep on comfortable beds. We all have clothing for the winter and clothing for the summer. We don't sit around the dining room table on hard, flat wooden chairs but on comfy, soft padded ones. There are so many things we do to be comfortable. We come home and take off our more formal clothing and put on something more comfortable.
And that is FIIINEEEEEE!!!!!
But if we want to GROW then we have to start doing things that make us UNCOMFORTABLE. For example: You see a stranger in shul. For many of us it is uncomfortable to go up and be friendly to the person. So we don't. But the right thing is to overcome our inhibitions and approach the person with a smile. Reb Shlomo Carlebach greeted EVERY person in shul with a hug. How 'bout that??!! Another example: Picking up the phone and calling people in order to take an interest in their lives and say some kind words. Not always comfortable but the right thing to do. Another example: Expressing affection to people in appropriate ways. Not always comfortable but let's face it - we all want to be loved. So why not give that to people.
The examples are legion!!!! The principal is ONE. Life calls upon us to do things that we are not comfortable doing b/c they are right. We can't let our feelings control us. Emotionally healthy people are in control of their emotions and not the opposite. Emotion is a wonderful slave but a terrible master!!!!
So I will overcome MY innate bashfulness!!!!!!!!!
I want to thank all those who read these words and give me the koach to continue - especially those who are in personal contact with me. I really miss being in Yeshiva all the time with all the guys. I really appreciate your friendship. It gets really lonely where I live here over the green line, especially being surrounded by a hundred million Arabs [rough estimate. I haven't actually counted]. I hope I can repay you in some way!!!!!!!!!!!!With Ahava and friendship [so hard to be open and write that but it is the truth!!! I have always had such TROUBLE expressing my feelings
],Me
PS - Some recent shiurim on the parsha here, here and here.
