“You came all the way from Brooklyn to Manhattan for a button?!” the businessman asked his former teacher and rabbi.
“No, all the way from Poland to Manhattan for a button,” the elderly rabbi corrected him.
The button company CEO, whose career had completely taken over his personal and spiritual life, looked at his teacher in bewilderment: “All the way across the ocean for a button?!”
His teacher smiled. “Is our journey all the way into this world just for buttons…?”
Perfecting the equilibrium between our material and spiritual lives is no small task. But, it is one that creates a beauty that is simply unattainable in heaven.
You see, angels don’t battle. They view the universe in one single color. But, the human being is challenged on a daily basis.
We have a vast palette of colors to sort through, infinite options, and endless dichotomies. And as we struggle, we make choices, hue by hue, we continuously perfect the blend, eventually creating a stunning work of art called life.
Yes, nurturing body and soul is a fine balancing act, one that takes effort and focus. But, we can’t forget that we didn’t come down here for buttons.
Grab a Mitzvah, with the same enthusiasm as closing a deal. Feel the rush of a closing, while you close in on the Tefilin!
We’ve certainly come all this way for something consequential. Let’s make this journey count!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendy
