Some Hasidim of the Maggid of Mezheritz came to him. “Rebbe, we are puzzled. It says in the Talmud that we must thank God as much for the bad days, as for the good. How can that be? What would our gratitude mean, if we gave it equally for the good and the bad?”
The Maggid replied, “Go to Anapol. Reb Zusya will have an answer for you.”
The Hasidim undertook the journey. Arriving in Anapol, they inquired for Reb Zusya. At last, they came to the poorest street of the city. There, crowded between two small houses, they found a tiny shack, sagging with age.
When they entered, they saw Reb Zusya sitting at a bare table, reading a volume by the light of the only small window. “Welcome, strangers!” he said. “Please pardon me for not getting up; I have hurt my leg. Would you like food? I have some bread. And there is water!”
“No. We have come only to ask you a question. The Maggid of Mezheritz told us you might help us understand: Why do our sages tell us to thank God as much for the bad days as for the good?”
Reb Zusya laughed. “Me? I have no idea why the Maggid sent you to me.” He shook his head in puzzlement. “You see, I have never had a bad day. Every day God has given to me has been filled with miracles.”
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Incredible wisdom. Gratitude is the key. It is tremendously powerful in changing our perspective.
If only we could have that same attitude each and every day!
Perspective is a wonderful thing.
I guess I had better keep that in mind in the coming weeks as the reality of sequester hits our household income.
Here is to hoping it doesn’t.
My prayers are with you Maura.
Can I hear an Amen! Now to be more like that. Holy Lenten endeavor Batman!
Have a great weekend everyone and remember Spring is at hand!
Great story! Thank you.
Such wisdom, such grace.
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
~Anais Nin
I think this quote of Anais Nin holds true that we do not see things as they are but as we are. I can say that my attitude towards things or reality in general is borne out of my fears, prejudices, likes and dislikes, and therefore, these are the things that determine what I will notice and what I will completely ignore. This is true, too, of my attitude towards people if I am not careful.
Hence, everything that I see and respond to are all in my head. It is only when I become aware that reality is not static at all, that it is forever changing, and my joy will come about when I learn to drop all my preconceived ideas and make an effort to view everything as they really are. It might be tough, but it can be developed. The one thing that I can vouch for is that commitment to a prayer life and meditation brings about the gift of awareness. I do not become perfect, but slowly, I learn and grow. I believe that when I learn to consciously do away with my expectations bit by bit, I would be able to relate better to Jesus’ injunction in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God (Mt 5:3).” With that, we can be thankful for everything that comes our way.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone. I am closing on my house today and I will be off to another adventure…. Thank you for the support you gave me the last time. It helped greatly!
Thank you. I came home from work tonight in a foul mood, upset with mistakes I had made and the consequences of those errors, and thinking this was overall a pretty miserable day. Think I need some Internet-free time to reflect on the miracles now. Thank you.
Great story, and thanks to Dolly for reminding me of that Anais Nin quote!
Not too long ago, I heard an On Being podcast where Brene Brown talked about her research on the differences between happy people and unhappy people. As I recall, it came down to how they perceived the good and bad things about themselves and their lives. Like Reb Zusya, the happy people acknowledged the bad things about their lives (“I hurt my leg”), but they didn’t have the attitude that everything about their lives and themselves should be perfect. They were not ashamed to fail, and they expected to run into some pain and adversity. Aren’t most (but not all) bad days just days that didn’t go the way we planned, which we choose to take badly?
My fellow perfectionists, please do not now beat yourself up for being too perfectionist!
Ah! A fellow perfectionist. It is a hard road to follow eh?
That was a good one! I have nothing to complain about. Also, I had never heard the quote above, but it’s a great one. It’ll be added to my collection for sure.
Attitudes, motivations….so important if our faith journeys. Thanks for this, yet another story that leaves you shaking your head, such wisdom wrapped in simplicity.
I have a lovely life by most people’s view point – they tell me as much whenever they get a chance – and yet I still don’t feel it. It is all about perspective. I need to walk around the lake daily and count my blessings.
Have a great weekend everyone.