A Sukkot Wake-Up Call
This past Sukkot, we had a lot to celebrate.
One night, I was walking home from shul when I heard music and saw people dancing out of sheer joy in the street.
So, of course, I joined in, soaking up the celebration. Later, my wife showed me a video of the dancing, and let’s just say the first thing I noticed was that I looked a lot bigger than I thought I was. I knew that I gained a little weight but now I got a 360 degree view.
Now that Sukkot is over, I decided it was time to get back into shape.
Last night, I planned to get up early, work out, and start my day off strong with some learning before minyan. So I went to bed early with a mission, motivated and ready.
But guess what? This morning, my plan started strong but fell apart pretty fast. I had barely begun my workout when my wife texted me that our baby woke up, asking if I could take care of her so she could rest a bit.
Now, my wife does everything for our family all day, every day – helping her is the least I could do. So, I cut my workout short and didn’t get in my learning before minyan.
Here’s where the shift happened: in the past, I would’ve been frustrated. I would’ve been upset that my “big plans” didn’t work out. But instead, I felt calm.
I realized Hashem had His own plans for me this morning. Bitachon – trusting Hashem in every twist and turn – means believing that every little shift is from Him.
If He wanted my morning to go differently, that was okay. I’d get back to my workout and learning later. It was exactly as it should be, and instead of resisting, I went with it.
And now, the day feels…right.
Hashem’s Masterclass in “Plan B”
We just read Parshat Bereishit, and Rabbi Reisman shares an idea that hits home:
Hashem actually created the world through “Plan B.” Creation was full of adjustments.
For instance, the trees were supposed to have edible bark so every part of the tree would be food – instead, only the fruit was edible.
The moon was supposed to shine as brightly as the sun, but when it complained, its light was reduced.
Adam and Chava were supposed to live forever in Gan Eden, but that changed too.
Despite all these “detours,” Hashem saw it all as “Tov Me’od” – exceedingly good. Why? Because life itself is built on adaptability and flexibility.
It’s like Hashem set up the world to teach us that perfection isn’t about everything going according to our “Plan A.”
Real greatness – the kind Hashem calls “Tov Me’od” – is in adjusting, moving forward with resilience, and knowing that each unexpected twist is exactly where we need to be. Hashem’s Plan A is Plan B.
Life’s Broken Strings
I once heard a story about Itzhak Perlman, the legendary violinist.
After contracting polio as a child, Perlman has walked with braces and crutches, moving slowly and deliberately.
During one performance, one of his violin strings snapped early in the piece. Most musicians would stop and switch instruments, but Perlman? He took a deep breath, signaled the conductor, and continued to play.
Adapting his technique to cover the missing string, he delivered an extraordinary performance. When he finished, he reportedly said, “Sometimes, it’s the artist’s task to find out how much music you can make with what you have left.”
It got me thinking: sometimes we’re given “three strings” instead of four, and our job is to keep playing anyway. To keep davening, learning, working, and raising our families with the circumstances we’ve got, not the ones we wish we had or think we should have.
That’s what consistency in Torah life is really about – showing up for Hashem, even when things don’t look like our perfect “Plan A.”
The Torah’s Blueprint for Consistency
The Torah places such value on consistency. The Korban Tamid was brought every single morning and afternoon, rain or shine. It was a pillar of regularity in our service to Hashem. The Korban Tamid teaches us the importance of consistency.
But here’s the irony: even the schedules we think are “set” change all the time. Halachic zmanim (times) shift with sunrise and sunset every single day. The time for the Mincha minyan adjusts each week.
Even the clocks change twice a year for Daylight Saving Time.
It’s like Hashem gave us this gift of constantly changing schedules to remind us that true consistency isn’t about holding onto some rigid daily plan – it’s about showing up to serve Hashem, regardless of the timing.
A few years ago, I heard about a man who had never missed a single minyan since his bar mitzvah. Then COVID hit, and shuls shut down. His streak was broken. When a friend asked how he was handling it, he said, “Until now, it was Hashem’s will for me to daven with a minyan. Now, it’s His will for me to daven at home.”
He wasn’t fazed – because his service wasn’t about the streak or the routine; it was about serving Hashem, no matter what that looked like.
Bitachon in Action: It’s All Part of the Game
Think about it like a game with obstacles popping up everywhere. You wouldn’t get upset with the game for challenging you – that’s what makes it fun! Similarly, Hashem placed “obstacles” in our lives to challenge us, teach us, and grow our Bitachon.
Every twist, every delay, and every surprise is an opportunity to say, “Okay, Hashem, I trust that this is Your plan.”
Our job isn’t to create some perfect, unbreakable plan for the day, the week, or the year. Our job is to do our hishtadlut – to make an effort – and then let go and let God, trusting Hashem to lead us through the rest.
The mitzvah of Bitachon isn’t to avoid the unexpected, but to see every curveball as part of His will, a way of keeping us connected to Him and growing stronger in our service.
Living the Torah Life with Flexibility
Consistency in a Torah life isn’t about perfection. It’s about striving to serve Hashem each day, whether the day goes exactly as planned or not.
The world will always throw new obstacles and changes our way. But the beauty of Torah life is that we have an anchor in Bitachon. We know that every challenge, every “Plan B”, is part of Hashem’s plan for us.
Hashem doesn’t expect perfection from us – He knows the world He created. Instead, He’s looking for us to show up and trust Him, whether we’re given four strings or three, a well-planned day or a chaotic one.
When we live with that kind of faith, we’re not just adapting; we’re thriving in a way that’s truly “Tov Me’od” – exceedingly good. So let’s embrace the journey, the changes, and the unexpected with bitachon. Hashem’s got the plan, and we’re here to live it, one beautifully unpredictable day at a time.
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Looking forward to learning and growing together!
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