Be. Light.
There are those people who seem to float a bit above the earth. Nothing seems to get in. It appears that nothing fazes them.
Then there are those people who walk around as if the entire universe is sitting on their shoulders. Everything is a burden, everything seems heavy.
I would like to live in the space we might call "being light" but at the same time being real and not ignoring what I'm experiencing.
How do we get there?
Joseph whom we read about this week to me seems like that person. He navigates real challenges, recognizes the inner struggle, doesn't pretend that he hasn't been wronged or that there aren't tzures around him. But he remains successful, positive and forward thinking and acting.
In here lies the secret to living "Light".
It's knowing that G-d is in control
It's not trying to control others
*It's not complaining AKA Kvetching
It's not comparing yourself to others (in terms of evaluating your self worth and success)
It's taking action to do something about the present
It's knowing that once you've taken the action the results are out of your hand
Everything about the Maccabees aligned with these principles.
On this holiday of light we are called again to look at the darkness of the world and choose how we are going to respond to it. To be burdened by it or to be a Maccabbee and a Joseph.
Happy Chanukah and Good Shabbos!
Check out this podcast where I got some of the inspiration for this list.
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