The Compass Secret

You can shake it, spin it, flip it over, the compass needle goes wild spinning, totally lost. Then, within seconds, it stops and points north. No pole, no debate, no hesitation. The secret? The needle is a tiny magnet, and Earth acts like a giant one. An invisible field wraps the world and pulls every needle one way. Sea, desert, city. Then the twist. Early 1800s, British navigator Matthew Flinders sailed around Australia. His compass strayed. Not the storm, the ship's own iron. The surrounding metal pulled the needle aside, quietly, unnoticed. A ship can confidently sail the wrong way. The fix? One iron bar, precisely placed, cancels the pull, restores true north. It still bears his name. Friends, we're compasses, too. Lately, we're shaken from all sides. Headlines, slogans, ads, noise. Everyone trying to pull our needle their way. And us? We choose Hashem. Deuteronomy says, "I have set before you life and death. Then, choose life." Rashi explains, "A father tells his son, choose a good portion." Then places him on the best. This one. Hashem doesn't make us guess. He places us on the good portion. Choose this. He's our north. Whatever pulls us from Torah, Shabbat, our Jewish identity is iron bending the needle. And us? We choose Hashem. Before, during, after the elections. At the polls, home, work, the streets. That's the compass' secret. The needle needs no directions. Just remove what pulls it astray. Once free, it returns alone. Alone behind the curtain, with our ballot, we'll ask, "Closer to him? Or farther? Where does it point?" Whoever chose Hashem won't let iron bend their needle. Go ahead. Shake us. Our needle knows the way. And us? We choose Hashem.