Leadership is a service, not a position.
The mystical books teaches that it is in the absence of oneself – not the indulgence of oneself – that the greatest satisfaction is found.
How does that make any sense, you ask?
Consider this: when an “A student” comes home with another “100” on their test – that’s beautiful. A great achievement. But, it’s just another rung in the ladder of achievements.
Did anything revolutionary happen?
But what about when the “A student” comes home saying they found time to help another student get a “100”? the student has learned the value of others. The student has connected to something outside of himself. That student has now revolutionized his sense of self.
Life, Energy, & Growth are found in the moments that we let go of ourselves.
When we allow ourselves to be absent, we find our true presence. Stretching ourselves beyond our limits. Outside our comfort zones. That is where we discover life! Mitzvot are the tools that do just that. Every Mitzvah stretches us and connects us to something beyond ourselves.
Wishing you and your family a Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Mendy
