How do you become a self made man? Is it all about personal motivation and always striving forward? Is it about having a goal that you constantly focus on?
The rags to riches story captures our imagination. We want to hear stories about visionaries who have made their way and Hollywood has given us countless versions of this tale.
When we look deeper at these stories, there are factors in common. There is usually some moment of inspiration that starts things off. There is some fortunate turn of events that presents a new opening. There are key allies or systems in place that the protagonist leverages to magnify their effect.
But upon further investigation, don’t these undermine our concept of a “self made” man? Where exactly did that inspiration come from? Who created that fortunate turn of events? Why should he need allies or systems if he’s doing it all himself?
For every man who makes it big, there are a dozen clever hard working entrepreneurs whose ideas never took off. Every business man also has stories of coincidental meetings or events that happened just so to make them succeed. There are myriad factors outside of us that can help or hinder us every day. Who is responsible for all of that?
The Torah portion this week discusses sending troops out to battle. It says “A thousand from a tribe, a thousand from a tribe, for every tribe of Israel you will send to the army.” It repeats the first line to tell us that for every thousand troops sent to the front lines, another thousand stayed behind to pray for them.
We might have thought sending both sets of troops to the fighting would have been a better battle strategy, but the Torah is teaching us a lesson. Those troops on the front will be reminded that if G-d is with them, circumstances will work out for their victory, even if they are few in number. If G-d is NOT with them, all the man power in the world won’t be able to overcome the trials they’ll face.
A man can move a mountain, so long as Someone provides him all the right tools and removes the impediments. But no man ever moved a mountain all by himself.
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Altonaga and the JET Team
