Shalom aleichem!
Please give tzedakah and say a prayer for the complete recovery of Tinok ben Chaya Rochel, Sarah Leah bas Maya Elanit,and Tinok ben Masha Miriam.
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Some attribute the following parable to the Baal Shem Tov:
There was once a person who wanted to learn to be a silver and goldsmith. He found a veteran craftsman, and arranged to be his apprentice. The veteran taught him the trade: how to file, saw, forge and polish the precious metals. Yet there was one thing that he neglected to teach. It was so obvious that he simply didn’t find it necessary to explain: namely, that one must hold a fire under the gold and silver in order to manipulate it to the desired form.
When the apprenticeship was over, the student set out to craft items from gold and silver. He did everything he was taught — hammering, sawing etc.
However he left out that one crucial detail: He didn’t hold a fire under the metal. Obviously, nothing of value came from his efforts; the gold and silver remained shapeless as before.
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Each of us is gold, and the Torah and its Mitzvot are gold. It is up to us to take these precious gems, and craft them into something even more beautiful. And the key ingredient in this task is fire — namely, that it is not sufficient for us merely to study Torah and perform the mitzvot, but they need to be done with passion and joy.
With fire, the goldsmith shapes the gold, bringing it to its potential. So too, investing a fiery passion in Torah and Mitzvot enables us to reach our potential & shine.
Shavua tov,
Shaul
