Vayeshev: The Path to True Tranqulity

Dear friends, welcome to this week's virtual dasha. This week we have the incredible privilege to read para's va and we know again the para is such an overwhelmingly traumatic and tragic one. Brother turns against brother the brothers down to mit and this begins a tragic narrative that really extends all the way through the end of but the para begins in a seemingly straightforward way. First in the parishan literally again sat or dwelled in the land of the dwellings of his fathers initanu is finally back home after all of the years with lavan after all the years on the run after the confrontation on last week's para yaku is finally home and rash kadesh quotes the magish and says something amazing why does the toes that literally It could have said why and Rashi says something what did he want? He wanted tranquility. The lion of Yeshiva is a is an expression of tranquility bash. Yakovu wants he wants tranquility. He wants peace. Jacob Alinu has been through so much in the last two plus decades. Everything you could possibly imagine through the death of Raku in last week's paracu has suffered it. So if you ask Jacob Jacob, what do you want out of life? Peace and quiet. Peace and quiet and he sat. He just wanted to sit. He just wanted peace and tranquility. And the rashi goes on Just as this tranquility, what happens? The entire story, the entire the entire episode with Yoseph now bubbles up. And Rashi goes on in general want tranquility, right? If you look at most great people, what they want more than anything is tranquility. Was happy doing his thing. David was happy being a shepherd. Mosher Rabenu was happy shephering his father-in-law's flock in Midyan. Great people often just want tranquility. Says it's not enough that you're going to have tranquility in the world to come. But you want tranquility in this world as well. And it's perhaps one of the most enigmatic comprehension defying rashis. And again, it's not rashi. It's rashi quoting the medish tanhuma. But what does this mean? Think about this. Jacobu, what does he want? He's not asking for money. He's not asking for covet. He's not asking for all. He's he he's asking for tranquility. And I I would say I would say that he's earned it after having lived through all that he lived through. I think that Jacob has absolutely earned it. And yet the med says quoted by almost like autbah. It's not enough that you can have tranquility in the world to come. You want tranquility here also. Almost as if this is the most ridiculous thing to ask for. Almost as if it's autic to ask for tranquility in this world. Are you going to have it in the next world? You need it here also. What's up? What's up? Yeah. Why can't that sadic have some tranquility in this world as well? Why is it that tranquility has to be something that escapes the righteous in this world and they can only have in the world come? Why can't you have it in both worlds? Why can't there be shala? Why can't there be ves in this world as well as in the next world? And perhaps what Rashi is coming to teach us is something amazing. If you look at the lion of Rashi, [clears throat] Rashi says leva. It doesn't say, but leva. What does lee mean? To sit. To sit by definition means you're static. You're not mobile. You're not moving. And perhaps what Rashi is saying is like this. If you're going to look for tranquility in this world through yeshiva, through sitting, through static, non-action, staying in place, there's no tranquility to be found in yeshiva. There's no tranquility to be found in sitting and staying in one place. Dear friends, let let me explain this to you for just a moment. If you think about like the most tranquil moments you've ever had in life, I think you would think right person thinks most tranquil moments. I like think about a vacation or I think about a time where I'm off from work. But I think what you'll discover is something amazing. The most tranquil moments in life is not when you're sitting on a beach doing nothing. It's that's relaxing, right? The most tranquil moments is not, you know, when you're off from work doing nothing, just like staring at the stars. The most tranquil moments in life are those moments, I think, when you're accomplishing, when you're doing something. There's a certain inner serenity that comes from knowing that you're living a purposeful, meaningful, and directed life. When I know that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, when I know that I'm operating on all cylinders, I may be exhausted through and through, but I feel tranquil. When I'm sitting on vacation, I'm relaxing. And relaxation is wonderful, but relaxation is not the same thing as shala. Not the same thing as tranquility. Tranquility is the feeling you have when you know that you're living the life you need to be living. And that's why when we're not right, whether it's I'm in a career that's not fulfilling or I'm in a place that is not in a good situation in life. You could be relaxed but you're not tranquil. Shelva shelva that inner tranquility is the feeling you get when you know that you're living the life that you need to be living. The life that needs you to live. When you're actualizing the that needs you to actualize. That's where shava comes. The metric is saying people make a mistake in life. They think leva. They think that shava tranquility comes from yeshiva. I'm going to relax. I'm going to relax. I'm sitting. I'm sitting. I'm catching my breath. That's where shava comes from. And says it's not enough that have trancluding the world to come. Now remember again how does the how does describe the world to come? Listen to this. What's the world to come? The righteous sit. Their crowns are on their head. You see in there is tranquility right? There is shva with sitting. Because inhaba there's no dynamic activity. In the world to come there's no there's no agency in the world to come. There's no mission in the world to come. There's nothing to do in the world to come. Tranquility comes through sitting and deriving benefit of the life that you lived. So you want tranquility through sitting. You want tran tranquility through passivity, tranquility through non-action. There is a time you have that. That's the world to come. The righteous sit and the crown of their good deeds remains perched on their heads. who says in the world to come you'll have tranquility with yeshiva but that's not this world that's not this world this world you want shva you want relaxation go on a vacation you want sha you want tranquility that feeling of inner contentment that feeling of inner peace that feeling ultimately again that you are living the life that you are meant to live that does not come in moments of passivity That does not come in moments of relaxation. That does not come in moments of vacation. That comes in moments of dynamic activity. And that's saying Jacob Au's mistake was Jacob Leva. His mistake was that his tranquility could come through passivity. That does happen after 120. That's in the world to come. But in this world, if you want tranquility, there's got to be action. dynamic activity and dynamic activity is going to come with its fair share of turbulence and its fair share of disappointment, disillusionment, heartbreak. But ultimately, that's the only way to find the tranquility that you're really looking for. We make this mistake between equating tranquility and relaxation. If I'm relaxed, I'll have shelva. But shava is this very unique emotional spiritual state where I may be exhausted through and through but I'm so at peace because I know I'm living my best life. I know that I'm doing what at least I think that I'm doing what wants of me. You could be relaxed by taking a long weekend. You could be relaxed by going to the beach. You can be relaxed by staring at the stars, watching the waves. Enjoy it. And relaxation is an important part of life. But relaxation does not translate into shala. Does not translate into tranquility. Tranquility only comes not through yeshiva, not through sitting, not through passivity, but only through dynamic activity. Jacob's mistake. He wanted tranquility with passivity. Says you could have that after 120 in the world to come. But in this world, if you want tranquility, you got to work hard. And I know it sounds like a bit of an anomaly. But dear friends, an incredibly important lesson for us. Because I think for many of us, tranquility escapes us. Shalva, that feeling of inner quiet, that feeling of inner equilibrium. It often escapes us. And I think we think that it escapes us because we need more time to relax. that in reality a lot of times shala escapes us because we're not working hard enough or we're not working in the way we need to be working. Tranquility comes in those moments when you know you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. Tranquility comes in those moments when I'm actualizing my my spiritual agency. Tranquility comes ultimately when I push myself hard and I know that I'm living the life that wants me to lead. Tranquility in this world comes only through dynamic directed effort. Tranquility in the world to come after 120 will come when we sit back in the presence of the and ultimately again take in the enormity of the beautiful life that we led. But in this world, if we want relaxation, go on vacation. But if we want tranquility, we should beem to work for it. Wishing everyone a good night of Shabas and a beautiful Shabas Kesh.