I want to return, after a bit of a hiatus, to a continued discussion of Rebbe Namchman's story of the Simple Man and the Smart Man.
When he created the hideous triangular shoe, and his wife pointed out to him that it was not of the same quality and that of other cobblers, nor did it fetch the same price, the cobbler replied "That is what he does. This is what I do." Rabbi Aroush devotes a large portion of his interpretation of this story to explaining just these words. Before our hiatus we had discussed a bit of that explanation. Let's continue now...
This concept is meant to instill within us that each person has a specific direction from God that is appropriate for himself, and himself alone. Since the time of Creation no two people have been identical in this respect. Each person, and for each person each day, has a different task as to what must be accomplished. No one truly knows where he is up to in a particular task, or in a list of tasks.
This is why we cannot judge others. We have no clue at all as to the challenges others face, or what it is they are meant to be accomplishing.Remain focused on yourself, and yourself alone. Do not allow yourself to be thrown off either by other's successes or their failures, they have no bearing on you. Focus on your own task.
"The whole world was created for me." The whole world is being directed by God for you to achieve your task. Sometimes to reward you for a job well done, sometimes to prod you along.
When he created the hideous triangular shoe, and his wife pointed out to him that it was not of the same quality and that of other cobblers, nor did it fetch the same price, the cobbler replied "That is what he does. This is what I do." Rabbi Aroush devotes a large portion of his interpretation of this story to explaining just these words. Before our hiatus we had discussed a bit of that explanation. Let's continue now...
This concept is meant to instill within us that each person has a specific direction from God that is appropriate for himself, and himself alone. Since the time of Creation no two people have been identical in this respect. Each person, and for each person each day, has a different task as to what must be accomplished. No one truly knows where he is up to in a particular task, or in a list of tasks.
This is why we cannot judge others. We have no clue at all as to the challenges others face, or what it is they are meant to be accomplishing.Remain focused on yourself, and yourself alone. Do not allow yourself to be thrown off either by other's successes or their failures, they have no bearing on you. Focus on your own task.
"The whole world was created for me." The whole world is being directed by God for you to achieve your task. Sometimes to reward you for a job well done, sometimes to prod you along.
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