We all cherish and covet comfort as much as humanly possible. We will go to great lengths to cultivate and perpetuate it. I get it; we all do, however, the reality is that the pursuit of comfort can drive us to make choices out of line with who we are and what we believe. How do we balance this out?
The answer lies in this week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha, where we learn about Avraham, the first Jew. Avraham wasn't called a Jew; he was called Ivri, or Hebrew, since we stood "M'ever" on the other side of the rest of the world. His faith was so strong he could share his beliefs with everyone he met without considering how popular they might be. He wasn't checking TikTok or Instagram; nothing else mattered if G-d asked him to fulfill a mission.
This quality, this strength and conviction, was imparted to each of us, Abraham's spiritual progeny. To be one of the Jewish people is to be strong in the face of adversity. To have conviction in your beliefs, you can share anytime, anywhere, without any concerns for their popularity. If you're not comfortable being uncomfortable, then you're out of touch with your Jewish identity. If you constantly evaluate what other people think before you profess what you believe, then you're Jewishness is fading.
Luckily, there's an easy fix. Just take a minute to recognize that people respect those who respect themselves. You weren't put on their earth to win a popularity contest; what kind of life is that anyways? Instead, you are here to live a meaningful and purposeful life, and all of your efforts and energies should be focused in that direction. It's time we followed the lead of the first Jew and started living for more than comfort, with the knowledge that the greatest comfort in the world is when you're fulfilling the reason G-d created you. Once you know that, nothing else matters, not even how popular your podcast is #iykyk :)
Mission: Asses how much stock you put in the opinions of others. Align your life according to what G-d wants of you, and relieve yourself of the burden of social pressure.