We all like life hacks, and are looking for ways to be judged favorably this year. So here’s the life hack that Rav Elya Lopian shows us from this week’s parsha!
We’re all drawn to life hacks. These are things that we find out about that can get us our desired results much quicker or in an easier way. Like the idea that’s given for couch potatoes who don’t want to get off the couch, to put their hoodie on backwards, that way you can pour your popcorn right in there and it could serve as a cup holder so you don’t have to keep getting up for it. Great idea.
Well, here’s another life hack. This one’s not mine. This one is from Rav Elya Lopian, but first a question. Our parsha says when we’re praising Hashem, “kel emuna v’ein avel,” Hashem is a God of trust with no inequity. He’s not bad. What kind of praise is that that were saying Hashem is not bad? Would you say that about a person if somebody called you for shidduch information, “she’s not bad.” I don’t think they’d go out. How can we say this about Hashem as a praise that he’s not bad, he has no iniquities?
So chazal explain that the possuk is telling us an amazing praise of Hashem’s calculations that he makes when dealing with us, is that Hashem looks at us and He says, if I’m going to give that person some pain, how is that going to affect their friends and their friends’ children and their children’s friends and their friends’ teachers, and so on and so forth. It will continue throughout everybody that may get affected by the pain that Hashem gives to that one individual.
So here’s the life hack that Rav Elya Lopian gives for everybody. If you want to be judged favorably this year, expand your real social network. Love more people, help more people, get involved in more people’s lives. The more people that you’re connected with and you’re networked with, the more people Hashem will see are affected by anything that happens to you.
So even if you are deserving of some punishment, if Hashem feels that it will not be worthwhile to give you that pain because of someone that will get affected in your network by this pain, Hashem will not give it to you. So that is a quick life hack that I hope that we can all try to do this year. And now you can get back to eating your popcorn.
Have a great Shabbos.
Video credit:
Avraham Kohn produces marketing videos for companies and organizations, helping them make money.
Portfolio: www.filmdust.tv
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