Imagine that you’re standing on the beach in Long Island and a person jumps in the water and starts swimming. You ask him where he’s going and he yells back to you, “I’m swimming to Israel.”
You say, “Wait a second! Even a good swimmer can only swim about 3½ miles per hour. It’s 5600 miles from here to Israel; that’s 1600 hours of swimming full speed without taking into account any time for eating and sleeping. That’s 66 days and nights of straight swimming! No one can do that!”
The swimmer yells over his shoulder, “So what?”
You call back at him, “Hey, I haven’t even mentioned any of the dangers on the way, like shark-infested waters and strong currents. What if there’s a storm at sea? Not even an Olympic swimmer can swim against stormy seas and 20-foot waves!”
The swimmer is sitting in the sand at the edge of the water and removing his shoes, about to jump in. He says, “Leave me alone! I want to do things my way!”
You can’t believe his stubbornness. You tell him, “Listen, friend. Put your shoes and pants back on, get in the car, and I’ll take you down the road a few miles to Kennedy Airport. You can jump on a plane and in 12 hours you’ll be in Israel safe and sound. Isn’t that more logical?”
He doesn’t even answer you and jumps in the water. You say to yourself, “I wonder how long it will take for him to be crying for help…”
The swimmer in our little parable seems totally inane, doesn’t he. But really, the parable is talking about many of us; we’re ever so obstinate to make our own decisions by using our own so sorely limited intellects, then we end up in big trouble and start yelling for help...
Continue reading Swimming Stormy Seas on this week's online issue of Breslev Israel magazine.
Also featured this week:
Rabbi Shalom Arush: Stay Put
Howard Morton: It Can't Happen in America?
Zev Ballen: Uprooting the Pain
Rivka Levy: Doing it For Hashem
Yehudit Levy: Checks and Balances
Chaya Ovadia for Breslev Kids: Devorah
Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak: The Longest Rope
Dovber Halevi: The Meaning of Exile
Rabbi Avraham Hacohen Kook on Parshat Teruma: Betzalel's wisdom
Do you really love someone? Are you looking for a special gift that will show them how much you care for them? Try Judean Dream. It simply sooths the soul. Dim the lights and listen to it with that person you love. Have a great week!
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