LOVE WORK

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov on your birthday Miriam. Wishing you continued success in all your activities, all with much joy.

Mazal Tov Tiferet on your first birthday! Wishing you to continue giving much nachas to your parents BH.

And 2 Levys on the same day:

Mazal Tov Nechama I think on your 6th birthday. Wishing you a happy year with lots of new growth.

Mazal Tov to Zeev also on his first birthday. You should continue giving much joy to your parents BH.

Tonight is Rosh Chodesh Iyar, and the letters I-Y-A-R stand for Ani Hashem Rofecha - I am Hashem Your Healer.

It should be that Hashem brings healing to all those who need, this month.

The epidemic we are facing has caused a lot of disruption, but also, so much good is also emerging.

One little example at home, is that last Shabbos afternoon, Batsheva started an initiative that the family sit down together to learn that week's Pirkei Avos. (London is still in lockdown)

She has a beautiful colourful book on Pirkei Avos - the Weiss edition from Living Lessons - which is so easy to read, and illustrated, with so many life lessons - highly recommended.

We took turns reading one Mishna at a time from Chapter 1. (It is a custom to read one chapter every Shabbos, through the summer, until after Sukkos)

So I thought to share one of the lessons that we learnt from Chapter 1.

'..Shmayah says: You should LOVE WORK, hate positions of power (and do not choose them unless the responsibility is placed upon you), and do not become too friendly with those in power.'

And the following came up in the Living Lessons section:

'Some people think that the less they have to do, the happier they will be.

However, the truth is that a person will naturally feel his best through working hard and succeeding at something.

There is no greater feeling of accomplishment than seeing the fruits of one's labour.

Even if you don't succeed, you can always be proud of your efforts!

So the next time you are feeling down, get up and get to work. You will begin to feel much better!'

And this is connected to the last part of the Mishnah where 'those in power -reshut' also refers to the yetzer hara.

So Shemaya is also saying: Love work and despise power ie by being occupied there will be less time to become too friendly with the yetzer hara (one's evil inclination, which thrives on idleness)

Wishing everyone a Gut Chodesh and a Gut Shabbos.