For the past four days I was able to rent a seven-seater from somebody I know, which was a huge boost to the family morale (all kids are home for a few months…no camp).
The most exciting time was when we decided to go the one of the tributaries of the Jordan river. I found an "off the road" place, which was only traversable via 4x4 trails. One trail, which was "in the thicket" ran parallel and next to the river. The other trail, which was a 4x4 trail, but open, was running parallel to that, but at a higher elevation. At one point I had enough peering down to see if there was a place for us, so I took us down, which resulted in my wife's questioning my sanity.
Thankfully, we found a nice spot, where we had to climb down the bank to get into the river. However, I forgot that the river comes from Mt. Hermon, which means, it's FREEZING COLD. I went halfway in, sang soprano, and felt my body go into shock. The rest of my family wisely decided to put their feet in and not risk death.
On the way back, my family say how I was contemplating getting the van back up the incline (of 45 degrees). At that point they begged me not to try, and to look for a better location, let the van and occupants all end up in the river. Of course, I would hear not of such foolishness. After all, I'm a man! I put the van in reverse and hit it! We somehow, barely, made it to the top in one piece, though my families white faces told me otherwise. 😊
This week's parsha deals with the Nirtzah, the Jewish slave who decides to remain with his master for the rest of his life, even after his six-year term has been completed. As a sign of this decision, he is to be taken to the local door post and have his ear pierced. The Torah considers this to be a punishment for choosing one master (his human master) over another (Hashem).
Rav Avigdor Miller writes that Tosfos in Kiddushin discusses whether a Jew can place himself in employment under somebody else. Even if he is working for a Ben Torah, he has placed a master over himself and has tied his sustenance to the "will" of his boss.
If he has his own farmland, than that is ideal, he says. There, h needs to answer only to Hashem. However, not everybody is cut out to be a farmer. Tosfos, in the end, agrees that since a man has an obligation to support his family, this worry (of taking another "master") is pushed aside.
On one hand, I can hear many people say, "Duh!" to Tosfos's conclusion. Yet, on the other hand, we see a very real worry that Tosfos had, which we, unfortunately, blunder in too many times.
While we still work for our employers, we must always remember, and this is the tough part, that we are ultimately working for Hashem. I know of many cases of people who were being abused by their bosses, and seeing how it was draining them spiritually, left their job, despite having nothing in reserve, and they found more and better work elsewhere.
Everything we do in our work, must be done in a kosher way, knowing that we are fulfilling the MITZVAH of supporting our families. A computer nerd who is writing code all day, if he is working in a kosher manner, will receive reward for his time. But, he must always remember that in the end, he is working for the Ultimate Boss.
With that, I leave you all with a great Shabbos!