Cleaning Our Eyeglasses
The Torah in Sefer Shemot (15:22-25) tells of Beneh Yisrael’s experiences immediately following the splitting of the sea. After crossing the sea, they traveled for three days in the desert without finding any sources of water. They finally found water, but the water was foul-tasting and could not be drunk. Hashem performed a miracle and made the water sweet and refreshing so Beneh Yisrael could drink it. The place was called “Marah” (מרה) on account of the bitter (מר) taste of the water at this site before it was miraculously transformed.
A number of commentators, including the Degel Mahaneh Efrayim, suggest a novel interpretation of this story. When the Torah tells that the people could not drink the waters כי מרים הם (“because they were bitter”), this refers not to the waters, but to the people. The people had an inner “bitterness” that resulted in the waters tasting bitter.
The lesson being taught is that when a person looks at the world from a negative viewpoint, he will see everything as “bitter.” Even things which are in fact “sweet” will strike him as “bitter.”
Rav Mordechai Gifter once illustrated this point by imagining a man visiting the Louvre Museum in Paris, which houses many of the world’s most spectacular works of art. As he toured the museum, he saw a group marveling at a rare work by Rembrandt. The man pushed through the crowd so he could see the picture from close up, and after surveying the painting he sneered, “This isn’t a nice painting. It looks like sour milk!” The people in the group thought this man had lost his mind.
He then came across a group of people staring in amazement at a piece by Van Gogh. Once again, he looked carefully at the painting and expressed his disgust. “It looks like sour milk!”
Finally, he went to the Mona Lisa, considered by many to be the most magnificent portrait ever painted. The crowd stood reverently, taking in the breathtaking beauty of this precious work of art. This man broke the awed silence by shouting, “This is a beautiful work of art? It looks like sour milk!”
People began shouting at the man, until one person noticed something unusual about his eyeglasses. He walked over to the man, took off his glasses, and saw that there was sour milk splattered all over the lenses.
This story, of course, never happened, but Rav Gifter told this tale to demonstrate how even the most beautiful things in the world can appear repulsive if we view them through dirty lenses. If we look at the world around us from a negative disposition, then everything will seem negative. We need to “clean our eyeglasses,” gain a fresh, positive perspective, and then our lives and the world will truly seem beautiful.
How do we do this? How can we change our perspective from negativity to positivity?
The answer lies in the Gemara’s comment in Masechet Bava Kama (82b) regarding Beneh Yisrael’s three-day journey to Marah. The Gemara explains that when the Torah tells of Beneh Yisrael traveling for three days without finding water (וילכו שלושת ימים במדבר ולא מצאו מים), it really means that they went three days without learning Torah. This hiatus from Torah is what made them negative and bitter. In response to this episode, the Gemara teaches, it was instituted that the Torah should be read on Shabbat, Monday and Thursday, to ensure that we do not go through a three-day period without Torah study. The way we avoid “bitterness” and keep our glasses clean, so-to-speak, is through Torah study. Learning Torah helps us see things clearly so we live with a positive, upbeat perspective on the world.
Several pesukim later, the Torah tells us that while Beneh Yisrael encamped in Marah, שם שם לו חק ומשפט – Moshe taught them several mitzvot, one of which, as Rashi comments, was the mitzvah of Shabbat observance. Shabbat is the time when we are to “clean our glasses,” refresh our perspective, and see life in an optimistic and positive light. Indeed, Shabbat is a time especially designated for Torah learning, because, as mentioned, it is through Torah study that we become able to view the world from a clear perspective and thereby eliminate negativity and bitterness. This is why the primary Torah reading takes place on Shabbat, the time when we are to “sweeten” our lives by changing our perspective and outlook.
Rabbenu Yosef Haim of Baghdad (the Ben Ish Hai), in his work Ben Yehoyada, observes that the letters representing Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday – the days when the Torah is not read – are א,ג,ד,ו, which spell the word דאגו (“they worry”). When we neglect to learn Torah, we view the world from a tainted, negative perspective, which brings us anxiety and tension. We are therefore to ensure not to go three days without hearing the Torah, and we are to make the most of the opportunity provided by Shabbat to delve into Torah in order to eliminate the anxiety that results from a negative outlook on life.
The Torah continues by telling us that after Beneh Yisrael journeyed from Marah, they encamped in a place called Eilim, where they found twelve fountains of fresh water and seventy palm trees with luscious dates. Rashi comments that the twelve fountains were provided for the twelve tribes of Beneh Yisrael, and the seventy palm trees corresponded to the nation’s seventy elders. The Hafetz Haim noted that clearly, G-d had specifically arranged these resources for Beneh Yisrael well before their arrival there. Thus, while they complained in Marah about the bitter waters, they were just one stop away from a large supply of water and delicious fruit. The lesson, the Hafetz Haim remarked, is that when we find ourselves in a difficult situation and we are struggling, we must realize that we might very well be just one stop away from the blessings that we desire. Rather than complain about the “bitterness” in our lives, we should wait patiently and with faith in Hashem’s ability to help, and trust that the “sweetness” we wish for will yet arrive.
Torah study, especially on Shabbat, has the power to inspire us with this faith and optimism so that we live happy, worry-free lives, without the “bitterness” of negativity and frustration.
Rav Elimelech Biderman tells a story related by the grandson of Rav Zalman Brizel of an incident that once occurred at Rav Brizel’s seder table. One of the grandchildren was playing with the tablecloth at the seder, and pulled it down. The plate with the matzos – which Rav Brizel had worked so hard to bake – came crashing down on the floor, and all the matzos broke. Rav Brizel looked up to the heavens and expressed his gratitude to Hashem for his sweet, playful grandchildren. Rather than complaining about what happened, he instead looked at the positive side of the situation – that he had healthy, energetic and happy grandchildren.
Indeed, there is a saying that some people use when children act mischievously: “If only the infertile women among Am Yisrael had such problems.” Rather than get upset and aggravated when our children misbehave, we should instead look at the situation from a positive outlook, and feel grateful that we have children who act like children. Shabbat is the time to reinforce this positive attitude on life.
May we all succeed in keeping our eyeglasses clean, so we can see the world from a positive viewpoint, and we will then experience the true “sweetness” of life, each and every day.