בס''ד
Amongst
the many characteristics that children possess, such as their undiluted honesty
and candour, their purity and their unbridled passion for life, the one trait
that Reb Yisroel Salanter zt’l emphasises in this regard, is their ability to
change moods and mindsets with ease. A
child can seem terribly unhappy at one moment, then totally carefree the
next. In the place that most deeply
represented how we relate to Hashem in our lives, the facet most pivotal for
our relationship with Him, is a willingness to change. This is the message we were meant to draw
from the childlike faces of the Keruvim.
Hashem is telling us that He is there desiring an everlasting bond with
us, but we must be ready and able to bend to that which will bring us to that
closeness with Him.
To
know what the Torah wants from us is often easy. To understand how we should reform ourselves
can be patently obvious. All too often
the only thing that is holding us back is our stubbornness in the face of
change and an inability to break from what has come before and start anew. We constantly demand from children that they
stop any inappropriate behaviour and start to act as they should. We can grow frustrated when even after
countless warnings to do so, they do not seem to heed our instructions. But in truth children change far more than we
ever do and show far greater readiness to be different to what they were, than
we ever show. A child’s mood can be
transformed in but a moment, yet we persist with the same perceptions, the same
actions and the same behaviours seemingly ad infinitum, even when deep down
realising the damage they cause. The
faces of the Keruvim should inspire us to understand that though it may be the
hardest thing to achieve, greatness can never be attained without first
breaking down our aversion to change.
*May the holiness of Shabbos create
within us the will and strength to transform ourselves for the better*
לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם
לרפואה שלימה: שרה יעל בת ברכה אסתר
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