From Tanach...

by Rabbi Twerski

______________________________________________________________

"The Israelites gathered it (the manna), one gathering more, the other gathering less. When they measured they found that the one who gathered much did not have more, and the one who gathered little did not have less. Each had received according to his particular needs (Exodus 16:17-18)."

The Chafetz Chaim asked someone why he was not devoting more time to prayer and study. The man answered that he had to work extra hard to provide for all his needs. The Chafetz Chaim told the man about a passenger on a train, who was pushing with great force on the forward wall of the wagon. When he was asked what he was doing, he explained that he was in a great hurry to reach his destination, and hew as therefore pushing forward to make the train go faster. "You fool," people said to him. "Do you think that your pushing will get you there any faster? The train will reach its destination at the same time, whether you push or not. All you will do is exhaust yourself."

The Chaftz Chaim said, "Whatever one is destined to earn, he will earn." Of course, one must do something to earn a living, but it is a mistake to think that the intensity of one's effort determines the amount of his earnings.

______________________________________________________________

"For the ways of G-d are just. The righteous will walk in them, and the sinful will stumble in them (Hoshea 14:10)."

A wealthy man of a community gave a sumptuous feast for all the townsfolk, providing the most delightful delicacies. One guest, who suffered from gastrointestinal disease, fell sick after partaking of the feast, and criticized the host for causing him to be sick. "How foolish of you," said the host. "Just see how many people enjoyed the feast without any ill effects. Your reaction was not due at all to the food being unhealthy, but to your particular illness."

So it is with the teachings of the Torah. For the person who is spiritually well, the ways of the Torah are healthy and enjoyable. The person who is deprived and spiritually impoverished will find the practice of Torah restrictive and burdensome. But the problem lies within him, and not in the Torah.

______________________________________________________________

For G-d has told you, 0 man, what is good, and what it is that G-d asks of you. It is only to do justice, to love compassion, and to walk humbly with G-d (Michah 6:8).

People may think that fulfilling the Divine will is so difficult. There are so many requirements, so many do's and don't's, that it is a most complex and bewildering task.

The prophet tells us it is not complex at all. Keep it simple. All G-d asks of you is three things. Do justice, be compassionate, and be humble. Once we set ourselves a goal of these three simple things, we can then look for ways to achieve them. If we are sincere in our quest, we will eventually discover that the formula for achieving these goals is the way of life designated by the Torah.

Don't be alarmed that Torah living is so difficult. Keep in mind that it is composed of three essential elements: justice, kindness and humility. All you have to do is to find out what is true justice, what constitutes true kindness, and what is true humility.

          ______________________________________________________________

For I have seen all the wrongdoing as well as proper actions, but when the latter are motivated by envy, they are also void and empty (Kohelet 4:4).

Envy is not only a destructive character defect, but also one that is patently useless. A person can be envious of someone else even though he knows he can never achieve or attain what the other person has. Of what use then is envy? It prevents a person from enjoying what he has, and brings nothing but heartache.

While some emotions are contemptible, they may at least have some rationale. Envy is totally devoid of any rationale. yet a person may ruminate over envy, accomplishing nothing other than generating bitterness, resentment, and thereby allowing himself to become victim to both physical and emotional illnesses.

How right the wise Shlomo was. "A person with a bountiful eye is indeed blessed" (Mishle 22:9).