D’var Torah by Rabbi Kasriel Gewirtzman
Esav and Jacob were twin brothers. Esav spent his days hunting in the fields and
his brother Jacob spent his time studying and learning. One day, Jacob was making
a lentil stew when his brother Esav came in from a long day of being in the field
and…
“Esav said to Jacob, ‘Pour … me … some of that red stuff for I am exhausted.’ Jacob said,
Genesis 25:30-32
‘Sell … your birthright to me.’ ….Esav said, ‘…I am going to die, so of what use to me is a
birthright?’ ”
Why would someone sell something as precious as his birthright, for a mere bowl
of lentil stew? Esav gladly did so and then justified it by saying he was eventually
going to die anyway.
Unfortunately, this rationalization is very similar to one that we use ourselves
when we want to do anything that is, in the long run, a bad decision. We all live
with a constant inner struggle between instant gratification and what will be better
in the long run.
But healthy decisions can only be made when someone lives with the awareness
that his choices have a direct impact on his life.
When we want to eat something unhealthy, we can rationalize our choice by
thinking to ourselves that “life is short”, we will all die someday anyway…. I might
as well enjoy myself. Some people take it to the next step, dabbling in other
unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and drinking recklessly.
The problem with all of this is a big one. There will be a tomorrow! And tomorrow
is only going to be as good as you make today.
Though there are outliers who are not adversely affected, that is clearly just an
anomaly and science tells us that living recklessly leads to obvious consequences.
Esav only cared about what he wanted now. There was no thinking about
tomorrow. This lack of forward thinking can lead someone to do anything he feels
like doing and then confidently justify their behavior.
One can only truly be great when they sacrifice short-term pleasure by investing in
their future and choosing what is right instead of what feels better now. Because in the
long run, immediate pleasure does not generally have long term satisfaction.
And that’s the irony.
God set up a system that demands for us to grow. This can only happen when we fight
temptations and do what’s right. The lasting joy you will own forever will be on a much
higher level than the temporary pleasure you passed up.
The more you are able to do this, the happier you’ll be.
Shabbat Shalom,
The JET Team
