Crafting Your Future Home | Rabbi Meir Simcha Sperling

Shalom u’Bracha to the entire Vayimaen family. I want to share a parable that can give us some perspective and hopefully push us with a new passion to continue our holy work of fighting the Yetzer Hara. There was once a talented carpenter, respected for his skill and dedication. He was the very best in his league, admired and trusted by everyone for his craftsmanship. One day, his wife approached him with a request. She wanted him to quit his job. She felt it was time for him to retire and enjoy a slower pace of life together. The carpenter argued, explaining how much his work meant to him and how he was really the best in his game, but seeing her persistence, he finally agreed. With a heavy heart, the carpenter went to his boss to announce his decision to quit, and his boss was surprised and reluctant to let go of his best worker. He said: No way. It's not happening. You're the best that I have. But after talking for a while, the boss said, If I can't convince you to stay, please just do one last job for me. The carpenter returned home and told his wife and she said: Okay, but do it fast. Don't be so careful. Like this, you can retire sooner. Eager to please his wife and move on, the carpenter decided to skip a lot of the steps and cut corners. He rushed through the project, neglecting the attention to detail that had always set his work apart. When the job was finished, feeling a mixture of relief and regret, he went to his boss and he said, I'm done. To which the boss responded: Wow, that was fast. When he saw the finished project, he was shocked and he said, Why is everything off? What's happening here? This is not your work. Embarrassed, the carpenter said: Well, I was rushed and to be honest, I didn't care that much and I didn't try my hardest. What the boss then said made his face go pale. He said: After so many years of your dedicated and outstanding work, you have helped me build a massive company. And when you told me you wanted to retire, I decided to sponsor your retirement home on the house. And I wanted to make it an incredible home. And that's why I put my best guy on the job. I am truly sorry, but here are the keys. The home is yours. Rabosai, what's the lesson? As we go through life, we are constantly faced with challenges, and the perspective often is that we're making a sacrifice for Hashem. I'm doing it for Him. Which is true, and that's a beautiful thing. But when it gets hard, we can be tempted to tell ourselves, Well, it's for Hashem anyways, and he understands what I'm going through, so let me fall. Next time, I'm going to be stronger, but you know what? For now, I'm going to give in to my Yetzer Hara. But what we don't realize is that on a deeper level, Hakadosh Baruch Hu doesn't need our favors. Hashem Yisborach is perfect in every way. When you overcome a challenge, there is no one who gains more than you do. Every time you look down, every time you look away, you are building your own World to Come. After 120 years, the key is going to be handed to you. So when it gets hard, of course you're doing it for Hashem, but really, you're doing it for yourself. So let's all push ourselves to rise up and overcome, not for Him, but for us. You don't want your World to Come to be missing a door. Rabosai, Good luck out there.