The Blessing Is Already There: You Just Have to See It

Sometimes we find ourselves asking: Hashem, where are You?

But there is really no such question as "Where are You?" The real question is: Where are you?

"I, Hashem, have not changed..." Hashem does not change. He is always there, always with the same love and closeness toward us. What changes are our moods, our circumstances, and the way we perceive His presence in our lives.

The Sun Doesn't Change. We Do.

"See, I set before you today..." The Kli Yakar explains that the word "today" alludes to the daily cycle of the sun. The sun itself is one and unchanging, yet it can produce completely opposite effects.

Imagine that your child, whether young or grown, gets a shirt dirty. You wash the shirt and hang it outside in the sun, where the sunlight helps lighten the stains.

Yet when you go outside, you may try to protect yourself from that very same sun. You apply sunscreen, put on a hat, and wear sunglasses because the sun can darken your skin.

The same sun can darken one thing and whiten another. Some things melt in the sun, while others harden.

Does the sun itself change?

No. The change is not in the sun. The difference lies in what receives its rays.

It is the same sun, producing different results depending on what stands before it.

The same is true of Hashem. He does not change. The changes take place within us.

What Changed for the Old Water Carrier?

Once, the holy Baal Shem Tov was walking through a town with a group of his Hasidim when they encountered the town’s elderly water carrier.

The Baal Shem Tov asked him, "How are you?"

The old man sighed.

"What can I say, Rabbi? Life is hard. I’m already 78 years old, running around all day drawing water and delivering it. My back hurts, my knees hurt, my bones hurt. Life is difficult.

"And my daughter, who was married for many years and suffered because of her husband, is now divorced. She came to live with us with all the children, and the house is noisy all day. What can I say, Rabbi? My life is hard!"

The Baal Shem Tov blessed him that things should be good for him.

The Hasidim were puzzled. How could things suddenly become good? What could possibly change for this elderly man?

A week later, the Baal Shem Tov and his Hasidim encountered the water carrier again.

Once more, the Baal Shem Tov asked him, "So, how are you?"

This time, the man’s response was completely different.

"Thank Hashem every day! I have no words to express my gratitude. At 78 years old, I’m still standing on my own two feet and drawing water!"

He sent kisses toward the heavens.

"And my daughter, who suffered with her husband for so many years, thank Hashem, finally divorced him. Now she is here with us, and the children fill our home with warmth and happiness. In short, Rabbi, what can I say? Life is sweet as honey!"

What had changed?

Nothing.

He was still 78 years old. He was still carrying water. His body still hurt. His divorced daughter and her children were still living in his home.

His circumstances had not changed. His perspective had.

And once the way he looked at his life changed, suddenly he could see the goodness that had been there all along.

"See, I Set Before You Today"

"See, I set before you today blessing and curse..."

Parashat Re'eh begins with one powerful word: "See."

Look at your life right now, at this very moment. Look at how much blessing you already have. Look at the goodness that may have been there all along, even when you were unable to recognize it.

Hashem has not changed. Like the sun, His presence remains constant. But the way we receive and experience what He gives us can change dramatically.

The same circumstances can feel like a burden or a blessing. The same crowded home can feel unbearably noisy or wonderfully full of life. The same aging body can feel like a source of frustration or a reason to thank Hashem for another day of strength.

Sometimes the blessing is already there.

We simply need to change the way we see it.