Today, a new era begins in the United States of America. For the first time in eight years, we will have a new president. Depending on your political persuasion (or lack thereof) this might be good news or bad news.
But, one thing is certain – different it will be.
Donald Trump has promised to undo much of President Obama’s agenda. Without debating the merits of such an approach, at least some of it is doable. If Mr. Trump winds back President Obama’s executive orders, some of his achievements may be for naught – just as President Obama erased some of President Bush’s policies. This is the reality of a democracy.
It must be a humbling feeling for a past President – accustomed to the power of the office and the power of the pen – to suddenly see parts of his legacy come tumbling down.
Truth be told, all of us are in circumstances where others are able to cancel our progress and achievements – be it in the profit and loss margins or the baseball game.
Frustrating as that may be, there is another instance when our actions are reduced to nothing and it stings even more. I’m referring to times when our activities never amounted to anything in the first place. When we work but nothing comes of it, we feel like we’ve wasted our time and energy. If it’s self-induced, the guilt and shame are a heavy weight on our hearts and shoulders. If it’s imposed by others the frustration and anger may flare up.
How do we overcome such feelings of helplessness and indignation?
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The Torah tells us that the Jews in Egypt were subjected to backbreaking labor. As this week’s parsha Shemot relays, “They embittered their lives with hard labor.” One of the interpretations for this labor is useless work. It’s one thing to be enslaved and forced to build a beautiful palace. But, imagine the feeling one endures when forced to work for months and years on end and have nothing to show for it. One of Pharaoh’s cruelest acts was – at times – compelling the Jews to build when it was completely unnecessary. Their bodies were crushed, but even more so their spirits.
In our own lives, we too are sometimes dictated by the metaphoric Pharaoh, who wishes that we engage in futile labor – activities that are empty, meaningless and bring no lasting benefit.
As we look to fill our lives, our schedule and our psyche with meaning, we ought to remember that there is only one way to guarantee that our work will be fruitful. It’s only when the work we do is G-d’s work that its success and meaning are secured. Others might be able to counter the profits we earn and the status we achieve. But, no one can take away the holiness and meaning we bring to this world through each mitzvah. Nobody can rob us of the eternal gift we give to our Creator – and subsequently ourselves – when we observe His commandments.
A mitzvah, it turns out, is the only status symbol that’s guaranteed to last. One simple mitzvah is greater than the Presidential Seal. Now, go inaugurate yourself.