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#994 Tue Oct 25,2022_Noach Rosh Chodesh Mar Cheshvan Best Efforts
Hi. This is Zahava Farbman, and welcome back to Soul Sisters.
We are in Parshas Noach, and today and tomorrow are Rosh Chodesh MarCheshvan. I would like to share with you a thought from Rabbi Ari Mirzoeff on a pasuk not in the beginning of the parshah, but one that will teach us a beautiful lesson, one that we can absolutely integrate into our daily lives, and one that we can also connect to Rosh Chodesh.
"וְלֹא־מָֽצְאָה֩ הַיּוֹנָ֨ה מָנ֜וֹחַ לְכַף־רַגְלָ֗הּ וַתָּ֤שָׁב אֵלָיו֙ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֔ה כִּי־מַ֖יִם עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח יָדוֹ֙ וַיִּקָּחֶ֔הָ וַיָּבֵ֥א אֹתָ֛הּ אֵלָ֖יו אֶל־הַתֵּבָֽה
But the dove found no resting place for the sole of its foot; so it returned to him to the ark because there was water upon the entire surface of the earth; so he stretched forth his hand and took it, and he brought it to him to the ark." (8:9)
What's going on here? Noach sends the dove when the flood stops, to make sure the rain has stopped and to find dry land. The dove can't find any, so Noach sends out his hand and brings the dove back into the teivah. The Netziv points out, says Rabbi Mirzoeff, that this pasuk is very wordy; why do we have to hear all those details: Noach sends out the dove, the dove doesn't find anything, he sends out his hand, he brings it back--this could have been told in fewer words.
But in the Torah, of course, every word is important, and the Netziv says that the bird was tired. It went out and tried to find dry land but didn't have anything to bring back.
What an important lesson this pasuk, Noach, and the Netziv are teaching. When a person puts in full effort, when we try at something, something in our avodas hakodesh, in our spiritual world, or something out there in our job, in our family, in a relationship, a challenge we're facing: we try, we put in our effort, but there's no success. Even still, we have to feel compassion on ourselves, love for ourselves. And when this happens with another, what a lesson for parents, for teachers, when a child, an adult, or anyone is trying at something and puts in full effort but is not having success. We need to give them compassion and love and understanding as if they were successful.
And that is why, says the Netziv, that the Torah specifically points out that Noach stretched out his arm and brought the dove back into the teivah, even though it was not successful at its mission. It was tired; it had tried, it had put in a full effort.
Because in life, in Yiddishkeit, in our Jewish world, it's not about the results, it's about the efforts. Hashem our Father wants to see us trying, doing our best, putting in our best efforts in any area of our life, but yes, especially in our avodas hakodesh, in trying to get close to Him no matter what we are going through.
It's not about the results, but He wants to see us trying. Hashem wants to see us being emesdik, truthful in our efforts. It's easy to be emesdik in Elul, in Tishrei--but now, in Cheshvan, when the days are darker and gloomier and its raining and we feel perhaps more fearful and afraid; there are no holidays to bring us that light and that joy. Hashem, though, wants to see us trying to be emesdik in Marcheshvan as well as in Elul and Tishrei.
The word emes --alef, mem, sof--stands for Elul, Tishrei, Marcheshvan. We have to be emesdik, we have to be truthful with our efforts, we have to be trying our best. It's not about the results, not only in Elul, not only in Tishrei, but yes, in Marcheshvan when perhaps it's harder, and the rest of the year, and every day in our lives, no matter what it is that we are going through, we remember: it's about our efforts, it's about our trying our best--it's not about the amount of success, it's not about the results.
What a very, very important, impactful message, one that we can most certainly integrate into our daily lives for ourselves and our loved ones.
And with that, I would like to wish you a wonderful day, a beautiful Rosh Chodesh, and know that Hashem is with you, with all of us, today and always.
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