This quality will determine how long you live and your quality of life. Curious what it is? You may not like the answer because the chances are you are lacking this very thing. What is it?
The answer lies in this week's torah portion Vayeshev. There, we learn about two servants of Pharoes who are languishing in Israel with Joseph when they have a terrifying dream. Joseph, ever sensitive to those around him, asks them what has disturbed them so terribly. They tell him about a dream they each had, and he, in turn, interprets their dreams. The cupbearer, he says, will be reinstated, and the baker will be executed, and indeed, that's what comes to pass. The question commentary asks about the story is how he knew one would live and one would die from the content of one's dreams.
The answer given tells us everything we need to know about life. The cupbearer speaks of a dream where he is actively serving his master Pharaoh to the best of his ability. In the baker's dream, the focus is on the events happening around him as if he is a spectator. This life approach told Joseph who would live and who would die. When a person resists taking responsibility for their life and future, they remove themselves from the world and are no longer fully present. In contrast, someone who is active in creating and promoting their vision and actively developing that vision into a new reality is fully alive in this world.
We, too, have the same choice in front of us. Rather than sit on the sidelines hoping someone else will do the work that needs to be done, we must step forward and take charge. No more can we afford to just look out for ourselves and our families; if we're not proactive in supporting Jewish life in our community, we will wake up one day to see it withered, weakened, and eventually gone. We are all responsible for Jewish life in Tampa, and that's reflected in each of us doing everything we can to sustain it by participating in and supporting the many wonderful Jewish institutions in our community. The time for passing the buck is gone; now is the time for action, and if you're not giving up your time and resources till it hurts, you're not doing enough.
This Chanukah, we must each light the Menorah and recognize that the world needs me and my light to dispel the darkness.
No one else can do what I can do. There is no one else; there is only you!