Page 24 - HaMizrachi #25 Chanuka 2020 USA

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis

When is Failure

a Blessing from G-d?

arashat Vayeishev provides us with wealth and honour. However, once Here we acknowledge that we do not
details of the height of Yosef’s suc- you achieve wealth and honour, you really know what success is. While we
Pcess. The Torah tells us, ת ֶ א 'ה י ִ הְי ַ ו might forget about G-d. Therefore, we might presume that something in our
ַ חי ִ ל ְ צ ַ מ ׁשי ִ א י ִ הְי ַ ו ף ֵ סֹוי, “G-d was with Yosef ask Him again for םִי ַ מ ָ ׁש ת ַ א ְ רִי ל ֶ ׁש םיִּי ַ ח – lives constitutes a great achievement,
and he was a successful man.” guarantee that we will always be able it might ultimately lead to our down-

Why are both statements necessary? If to maintain our faith in You. fall. We therefore place everything in
the hands of G-d and recognize that
G-d was with him, he must have been Yosef was someone who maintained sometimes what is considered to be a
successful, and if he was successful,
surely it was because G-d was with his fear of Heaven under all circum- failure might actually be the best thing
him? stances – when he was in desperate for us.
trouble and also when he had achieved
Rav Simcha Bunim of Peshischa, one wealth and honour. That is why the Yosef understood this profound lesson.
of the great Chassidic masters of the Torah tells us G-d was with him and When he was failing, when he was
late 18th and early 19th centuries, he was successful. a victim of attempted fratricide and
explains as follows: we have a ten- when he was thrust into prison despite
dency to reach out to G-d primarily I would like to suggest a different being innocent, G-d was with him. He
when things are going wrong, yet we explanation. It is possible for G-d to felt the presence of the Almighty just
should also naturally reach out to Him be with someone and for that person as he did when he was riding on the
when we are happy and successful. not to succeed. Because in the midst wave of success. He never lost sight of
of our failure or disappointment, the the light at the end of the tunnel.
In this vein, the Chafetz Chaim com- door closed in front of us can open
mented on our Rosh Chodesh bench- Or as Winston Churchill put it, “Suc-
ing, which we recite on the Shabbat many other doors of opportunity. An cess is going from failure to failure
before Rosh Chodesh. We repeat initial setback may bring unexpected without loss of enthusiasm.”
one request – םִי ַ מ ָ ׁש ת ַ א ְ רִי ל ֶ ׁש םיִּי ַ ח – blessing.
Please, G-d, give us a life of the fear of This too is a sentiment we express in
Heaven. Why do we specifically repeat our Rosh Chodesh benching. We con-
this request?
clude with the request, ‘ה א ֵ ל ַּ מְּי ֶ ׁש םיִּי ַ ח
The Chafetz Chaim explained that ה ָ בֹוט ְ ל ּונ ֵּ ב ִ ל תֹול ֲ א ְ ׁש ִ מ – Please G-d, give Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis is the Chief Rabbi of
after the first םִי ַ מ ָ ׁש ת ַ א ְ רִי, we ask G-d us a life in which the requests of our the United Hebrew Congregations of the
for דֹוב ָ כ ְ ו ר ֶ ׁשע ל ֶ ׁש םיִּי ַ ח – give us a life of heart will be answered for the good. Commonwealth.

To thank G-d is to know that I do not have less because my neighbour has more.
24 | I am not less worthwhile because someone else is more successful...
RABBI SACKS