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"Volunteering at KC Kosher Meals on Wheels gives me a great feeling of purpose, positivity, and fulfilment. I look forward to it every week! I would definitely continue to give my time and effort to make the world a better place." - Rivka Nechama
Rivka Nechama, thank you for helping make KC Kosher Meals on Wheels the successful program it is!!
Fighting Smart
Parshat Teitzei
How many battles did you fight today?
None, you say? Think again.
Did you fight fatigue in order to pry your eyes open this morning? Did you fight the mad traffic jam to navigate to work? At the office, did you fight laziness to climb the stairs instead of riding the elevator? Did you fight lethargy to focus on the tasks at hand? Did you fight the clock to meet your deadline? Did you fight your cravings to avoid unhealthy snacks and choose nourishing food?
Every day, every hour, every minute, we wage countless battles.
This week’s Torah portion begins by telling us about our battles and clues us in on vital knowledge to win them.
“When you go out to war on your enemies, the L-rd your G-d shall deliver them into your hands and you shall capture from them captives.” (Deut 21:10)
The Torah doesn’t write, if you go out to war, but rather when. Turbulence and struggle is inevitable.
We fight real wars just as we fight moral one. We fight character traits just as we struggle to use our time wisely and develop our talents fully. We battle to protect loved ones from the harsh realities of our world and to create a better reality.
Here are 3 important things to know about your wars.
1. Your battles don’t define you.
The Hebrew phrase al ovecha, "on your enemies," literally means "on top of your enemies." Just because we are constantly engaged in struggle doesn’t mean that we are defined by them. We win and inevitably we lose. Don’t focus on your losses; you are far more than your conflicts. You have a divine soul that is perfect and untarnished in spite of your struggles. So just get back up, re-energized and begin anew.
2. You are not fighting alone.
When your battles become oppressive, when your enemy gains the upper hand, you may need to take a step back and reevaluate. Affirm that there is no true existence other than G-d. This means that nothing contrary to G-d’s goodness and truth has any real power over you. Go to war with the optimistic confidence that "G-d shall deliver them into your hands,” in order to succeed.
3. You can grow from your experience.
“You shall capture from them captives.” Anything negative in man or in the world can be exploited for the good. You were exposed to your circumstances for a reason. “Capture captives” and find a lesson in every situation.
Wishing us all strength and victory in fighting our many battles!
(By C. Weisberg)