Kevin Bemel ·
Why Praying for Comfort Makes You Unhappy
The serious but joyous work of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are done. Hopefully you emerged from it having repaired your relationship with G-d and with a commitment to live a life true to your ideal self.
Succos begins today. Time to give up what seems like comfort to explore your relationships with G-d. The essence of this festival can be gleaned from the following story about the sage, Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz who lived during the 18th century.
During the early years of his life Rabbi Pinchas’s spiritual greatness was unknown, but after a time people came to see that his devotion to studying Torah, prayer, and meditation truly elevated him to extraordinary heights. Soon, he was inundated with people who wanted his advice, his blessings, and his prayers. These requests got to the point that Rabbi Pinchas feared he was no longer serving G-d as he ought.
After much soul searching he decided he would pray that the constant interruptions would stop. As a tzaddik prays, so G-d does, making Rabbi Pinchas despicable to others. When he walked down the street people would avoid him. But he was happy. His time was his own again.
The time for Succos approached. Unlike in previous years, no one offered to help Rabbi Pinchas build his sukkah. Not having any ability in such matters, he began to worry that he would not have one for the Chag. He tried everything but if he found someone to build a sukkah the person had no tools. Finally his wife intervened and they were able to complete a flimsy sukkah just moments before candle lighting and the start of the holiday.
Unlike most times, on festivals Rabbi Pinchas went to shul to pray so he could find a guest and fulfill the mitzvah of hospitality. But having becoming so disliked, no one wanted to share his sukkah. Discouraged, Rabbi Pinchas went home alone.
In his sukkah that night he started to pray the Ushpizin, welcoming the seven heavenly guests who spiritually visit every sukkah. G-d decided that Rabbi Pinchas should be privileged to have our forefather Abraham as his guest. When Rabbi Pinchas looked up from his prayer, there stood the great man outside the sukkah. Rabbi Pinchas beckoned him to enter, but Abraham replied, “My greatest trait was chesed expressed through hospitality. I will not enter a sukkah until another guest is there.” At that moment Rabbi Pinchas realized his error, and he prayed that everything would return to the way it was before.
May you use your time dwelling in your sukkah to reflect on how you will use the year just granted you.
Question – What have you prayed for in the past that you will change for the future?
Please comment on this question or ask another question below.
