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To
My Dear Students,
Literature
is filled with metaphors and similes for life.
Many
such metaphors and similes are negative: life
as a constant battle, a struggle
without end, a matter of winning or losing; a
roller coaster, a slow climb
to the top and a dizzying fall to the bottom;
a marathon in which we are exhausted
and spent; a prison in which
we are controlled by others; a stepping stone,
where the only satisfaction lies in the "next"
thing.
Other
metaphors and similes are positive: life as a
garden of cultivation and beauty;
a classroom filled with valuable
lessons; a bridge connecting
people to one another; a ladder
of possibilities.
For
Judaism, life is a mission.
We are placed here by G-d, a soul that has a body,
to accomplish His purpose. We are sent on
this mission and only we, as unique individuals,
can fulfill it. We are not privy to our
marching orders, but we should be aware that the
next experience, the next meeting, the next deed,
the next word, may indeed be the reason we are
here. This mission may be executed when
we are young or old, it may be fulfilled in a
moment or over years, it may undertaken in public
or private, it may be grand or small.
The
simile of life as a mission offers the opportunity
to see our lives in a higher context, one of purpose
and meaning, in which we go forth as emissaries
of G-d on earth. Let us strive to live up
to that vision, to conduct ourselves as Heaven-sent
servants of G-d's mission for us and His plan
for the world.
Shabbat
Shalom,
Your
Rabbi
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