Building Up to the Ultimate Success | Rabbi Nosson Levine

When it comes to Nisyonos that are relentless, day after day, inevitably there will be failures. There'll be good days, but unfortunately, there'll also be bad days. Success is dependent upon perspective. A number of years ago, in a Yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel, one that catered to American Bochurim, the night of Erev Rosh Hashanah, there was a celebration going on. Yes, Erev Rosh Hashanah, singing and dancing. What was the backstory? There was one Bochur in Yeshiva, someone who was a ירא שמיים, who was trying hard. He had but one fault. He was a כעסן. He constantly lost himself in fits and rages of anger. The year prior to that Erev Rosh Hashanah, he had a conversation with his Rebbe, who encouraged him to be Mekabel on himself the coming year to work on that anger. He offered him a deal. If he’d control that anger for a year, he'd give him $500 cash. And as a vote of confidence, he put the money into an envelope and handed it to him, giving him the money upfront. The following year in Elul, that Bochur called over his Rebbe to the side for a private conversation, and returned the envelope. Written on the back was a letter. Dear Rebbe, I’m a miserable failure. I tried so hard, but I couldn't succeed. I have no choice, but to return the money. With tears filled in his eyes, the Rebbe turned to his Talmid and he said: What do you mean? How often did you get angry? How many times did you fail? I don't know. Too many times to count. I don't believe you. You certainly kept track, you were trying so hard. Tell me, how many times did you fail? In truth, it was 48 times that I got angry. After a quick calculation, the Rebbe turned to his Talmid. What do you mean? You call that ‘failure’? I call that ‘success’. That means 317 days this year you controlled your anger. That's a cause for celebration. Not only should you keep the money, but we're making a Seuda, singing and dancing to celebrate your accomplishments tonight. That's what took place in that Yeshiva on Erev Rosh Hashanah. Success breeds success. By focusing on our successes, as opposed to letting the failures get us down, we can slowly build ourselves up to the ultimate success.