Appointed Again, Every Morning

Opening Ask yourself a simple question: what did you do with the first few minutes of this morning? Not what you should have done. What you actually did. Most likely you opened one eye, maybe half an eye, and something inside already felt the weight of routine. Another day. The same job, the same duties, the same system. And there is a moment, maybe a second, maybe longer, when a person feels like a small screw in a big machine. The machine keeps turning anyway, whether he is there or not. This is not a question for theologians. It is a human question, and a deep one: what is the meaning of this day, this specific day, for me? The Parable: The Day After the Swearing-In Let us use a parable everyone understands. When a new leader takes office, the first thing that happens is the naming of his team. It happens that same day, sometimes just a few hours after he is sworn in. The most experienced manager, the most trusted adviser, the team without whom no policy ever moves from idea to action. Everyone who gets the call, everyone who gets the message “You’ve been chosen,” knows for certain that the president needs him. Not someone like him. Him. Now for the lesson. The Lesson: An Appointment Renewed Every Morning “There is no king without a people.” This is not just a nice saying. It is a foundation. Hashem’s kingship in this world is what we call “a home for Hashem in this lower world.” That kingship is revealed and made real through us. It comes through the Jewish people, through what we do in the physical world. We are the “people” without whom, so to speak, the kingship is not complete. And what happens every morning? Hashem gives you back your soul. As we say in the short prayer on waking: “I thank You, living and eternal King, for You have returned my soul to me with compassion.” Dear friend, look closely at the words: “You have returned my soul to me.” The soul is something left in a person’s care. It is given to him for use during the day that has passed, and in the morning it is given back. And what does it mean that it came back to you this morning? It means the King decided He still needs you. It means the “call” has come. It means the appointment has been renewed. This is not a parable. This is simply how things are. As the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Hasidic movement, taught us: there is no moment without Hashem’s personal providence. Every moment there is fresh vitality, a fresh will of the Creator to keep His creation in existence. The fact that you are alive this morning is not a “default setting.” It is Hashem declaring that you are needed. A Note: The Morning “I Thank You” as Accepting a Mission So the morning prayer “I thank You” is not only thanks for the past, for getting through the night safely. It is accepting the mission for what comes next: for today. You are saying: Master of the world, I accept. I’m here. I’m ready. When an employee gets a call from the office, “Come in today,” he understands that two things are true at once. First, he is still on the payroll. Second, a task is waiting for him. The morning “I thank You” is that same call. The soul that came back is the “paycheck.” It is proof that something is still expected of you. A Note: More and More Roles There is one more point worth sharpening. If an employee proves himself, loyal, hardworking, reliable, the administration trusts him with more responsibility. Our Sages teach: “One good deed brings another.” The more a Jew carries out his mission with joy and faithfulness, the more his “team” grows. He is given more roles and more chances to build another “stone” in the home Hashem wants to build in this lower world. This is not a figure of speech. This is the reality of serving Hashem. Every commandment a person does with a whole heart adds another “vessel” that can receive divine vitality. And so his influence in the world grows. Closing Dear fellow Jew, you did not just survive another night. You were chosen for another day. This morning Hashem, the King of all kings, looked over all the options before Him. Then He sent you a message in the clearest language there is: your soul came back. You are on the team. You have a mission. Your home, your study hall, your work, your family, every point where you touch this world, all of it is part of the great campaign of “I will dwell among them.”

Concepts: mission