OUR DESTINY

 As I progress in the study of Sefer Braishis, I begin to realize that Judaism prefers creativity rather than  conformity. The meaningfulness of life is realized by our creative abilities and our realization that, in our day and age, there is a great need to become a non conformist in a society that is drowning in a pool of unethical values. 

   I sense that is why the first directive to Avraham in our Parsha is, לך לך , not only to leave his fathers country, but more so to it means to "Go to yourself", to find your true self , to rid yourself of all the bad influences that surrounds you. When one achieves this goal then one is on the road of his unique destiny. 

   We need to begin to realize that every one has a mission in life. Each of us has a calling, and we are put on this earth to unearth that uniqueness and to set forth on our journey to find that calling as Avraham was instructed by G-D in his directive of לך לך. 

   There is an amazing story told of the great Hasidic Rebbe Zusya. When Zusya was dying, his Chasidim, gathered around him and saw that he was crying. They asked their Rebbe why he was crying, for they knew he lived a very pious and influential life. Reb Zusya responded, " I see what will happen to me when I reach heaven. They will not ask me , why was I not like Moshe, for they may not expect me to be as great as Moshe. They will not ask me why was I not as great as Rabbi Akivah, for I was not expected to be as great as Rabbi Akivah. What I do fear is when they ask me, why was I not Zusya? That is my great fear and that is why I am crying. I am asking myself why was I not Zusya?"

    The greatest tragedy of life is not fulfilling our life's mission of not fulfilling our Tafkid, of not searching our true לך לך, to successfully journey the road that  Hashem has planned for us. A road of destiny - a road of fulfillment - a road to be travelled for our own personal growth - a road just like Avraham took as he reached Har Hamoriah, the road that made earth into a heavenly sphere.

      Remember well  that in life the degree of attainment comes with the cultivation of our true abilities. We should be inspired by the great expressions of the human spirit to reject mediocrity and be satisfied only with excellence. 

    I remember I once asked a youngster, "Why do you believe in G-D?" he answered simply, "Well, I guess it just runs in the family." 

     A continuity of faith running through generations is indispensable to establishing a true meaningful fulfillment of achieving our own destiny.

      G-D loans us the impulse to judge ourselves, and if we use this impulse wisely, then we can create an admirable pattern of life. 

     The full development of each individual is not only a right, but a duty to society and a duty to oneself.

    The ideal of man is to be a manifestation of G-D. 

שבת שלום ומבורך.