"Hear, O Israel: HaShem is our God, HaShem is One." (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Our Sages teach:
Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: Even if a person recites only Krias Shema in the morning and evening, he fulfills the verse, "This Book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth." However, this should not be said before the unlearned. Rava disagreed and said that it is actually a mitzvah to tell them this. (Menachos 99b)
Rebbe Nachman explains that the true tzaddik instills within ordinary people the precious quality of histapkus - the ability to be content with one's portion. Through this quality, a person becomes capable of receiving the light of HaShem that is concealed within the hints and messages He sends throughout this world.
This quality of contentment is challenged from two completely opposite directions.
Take eating as an example. Some people feel they simply must eat, as though they have no choice. Others also feel the desire to eat, yet they understand that they must exercise self-control and not be ruled by their cravings.
The very same dynamic exists in Torah learning. There are those who feel they cannot live without Torah, while others feel that reciting Krias Shema alone is enough for them.
But the truth is more subtle. Both of these feelings exist within every person. If we are not aware of them, we will never be satisfied with our Torah learning. Even after studying for several uninterrupted hours, we may still think, "Perhaps I didn't learn properly. Maybe I didn't understand the material well enough." On the other hand, when we study only a little because we feel obligated, we are also dissatisfied because it feels forced. Yet if we truly appreciated the effort we had already made, that appreciation itself would inspire us to continue learning even more.
This is what Rebbe Nachman teaches us. The true tzaddik gives us the gift of histapkus. On the one hand, it awakens within us an ever-deeper yearning to draw closer to HaShem. On the other hand, it enables us to rejoice sincerely in every step we have already taken.
When we learn to be genuinely happy with the good that we do, while continuing to aspire for more, we become worthy of recognizing the countless hints that HaShem sends us each day, guiding us to remain close to Him always.
Amen.
Shabbat Shalom
Chaim Kramer
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