Short Story: Ask the Rabbi

Tweet

Rabbi Gustov Rachmann, had a question and answer session every Friday night with his students, where they could put questions to him, and he would answer them. One student asked him this question: “Should we strive for satisfaction in life, or not?” The Rabbi thought carefully, and then he replied to this question like this. “Satisfaction often leads one astray, as they chase after such satisfaction, as gratification, and not as a blessed feeling of connection to God, instead.” “We do need to make effort to accomplish useful things in our lives, but as the results are largely being left up to God, we should not have a fattened up self-satisfaction, about our achieving anything, at all.” “Nothing is ever really finalised in God’s world, as everything is in a continual mode of change.” “We should not be looking forward to feeling satisfied in some distant future then, but if we are to feel a certain satisfaction about our ongoing connection to God, and the fruits that this is bearing for all, we should feel this in the moment of now, not later.” “I believe that it was that great Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi, (1869 to 1948) who said this:” ‘“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory.”’ “But, in fact, he only had this half-right.” “The effort is not ours alone, but God working through us that energises us to do what we need to do for him in our lives.” “No satisfaction must be personal satisfaction, as this only creates a swelled head." "Credit God with every result, and that your role is just a worker for him.” Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com Satisfaction should not fatten our sails, so that we get blown along in the wrong direction.