Can Do Part 2

This is the other end of the continuum. On one side we have to believe that we’re going to get what we want and succeed at what we are trying to do. We have to be bota’ach — trust — in God and remember that nothing stands in the way of bitachon (Sha’arei Leshem, p. 114). Nothing.

 

“Nothing?”

 

“That’s what it says, nothing.”

 

“But things do?”“Not for people who truly believe, as opposed to only wanting to believe. Like Yosef, or Chanina ben Dosa, or Choni HaMagel who were believers through-and through.”

 

“But they were great people?”

 

“The secret to their greatness was in their understanding of how God runs the world, which, by the way, is no secret, just wisdom.”

 

On the other hand, all that “wanting” can easily lead to a sense of discontent and disappointment if we don’t get what we want just as we think we need it. However, if we have a built-in sense of gratitude that maintains an ongoing sense on contentment, then the fact that our wish list has not yet been fulfilled does not faze us. It just encourages us to enjoy what we presently have while energetically pursuing that which we believe will meaningfully enhance our lives.

 

People who want but who lack a sense of gratitude for their blessings in life, tend to be self-centered and not very pleasant to be around. They certainly do not exude chayn. People who are very grateful for what they have but have little or no desire to expand their bounty tend to be underachievers and lack the ability to inspire others.

 

However, people who have just the right amount of each generate chayn, inspire others, and tend to attract success in just about anything they set out to accomplish. They often earn the respect and admiration of others, especially the people who do not realize the secret of their success, and how it can apply to their own lives as well.

 

It is no coincidence that the miracle-workers mentioned in the previous chapter have names based upon the word “chayn” — Chanina, Choni — or that the Talmud says:

 

If one sees the name Chanina, Chanania or Yochanan [in a dream] miracles will happen for him. (Brochot 57a)

 

Again, the key here is the root of the word, “chayn”. As the Arizal explains in Sha’ar HaGilgulim, when parents name a child they are invested with Ruach HaKodesh — Divine Inspiration — so that they can intuit, at least subconsciously, precisely what their child is meant to be called. This is because a name is a description of the spiritual potential of a person, and the fact the names mentioned above are based on the concept of chayn means that these people were born miracle-workers.

 

Thus, true to their names, they were Can-Do people who were also satisfied with and grateful for their portions in life. They expected little more than what they already had, but when others approached them for help they revealed enthusiasm to get the desired results from God, and on demand. The miracles they performed are legendary.

 

And, as the Arizal points out, Yehoshua bin Nun — literally “the son of fifty” and a descendant of Yosef HaTzaddik — lived until 110, the same age to which Yosef lived, and the gematria of the word “neis” — miracle (Pri Aitz Chaim, Chanukah). This was in order to convey the message that their entire lives were filled with miracles, from the beginning until the end.

 

Indeed, one of the nicest things about Can-Do people is that they don’t blame anyone when they do not get their desired results. Just as “be postive” is an attitude and not just a blood type, “be lame” is also an attitude, one that results in “b-lame”, and nothing snuffs out a sense of chayn faster than someone pinning the blame on another.

 

In the end, doing so certainly isn’t self-serving either, for the one time that Yosef did exactly that it kept him in jail for two extra years:

“Please remember me when it goes well for you; do a kindness for me by mentioning me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this house. I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and I did nothing for them to have put me into the pit.” (Bereishit 40:14-16)

 

After all, what difference did it make to the wine steward how Yosef ended up in jail? He himself was there because a fly was found in Pharaoh’s cup, a purely innocent mistake. Wasn’t it enough for the wine steward to know that Yosef simply wanted to leave jail, innocent or guilty?

 

Furthermore, as Yosef well knew, nothing happens by accident (Chullin 7b). In other words, there had to have been some Divine reason why Yosef was there in jail, and completely blaming others for his situation seems to have been below his dignity, and it certainly did not leave the wine steward with the correct impression about God’s involvement in the affairs of man.

 

Thus, Yosef’s additional words were superfluous, unwarranted negativity, and perhaps the reason why he spent two extra years in jail. As a punishment? As an effect of the cause he himself created.

 

Likewise, the one time that Ya’akov complained in his life he also paid for it with years of life, losing one year of life for every word of complaint (Midrash Aggadah 47) —

Then Yosef brought Ya’akov his father, and presented him to Pharaoh. Ya’akov blessed Pharaoh, and Pharaoh said, “How old are you?” Ya’akov said to Pharaoh, “I’ve wandered for 130 years. Few and bad have been the days of the years of my life, which has not yet reached the years of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.” (Bereishit 47:8-9)

 

— thirty-three years altogether.

 

Again, this was not just about punishment; it was about the consequence of negativity. The result is automatic, the built-in response of Creation to negative energy that both Yosef and Ya’akov created for themselves.

 

However, when it comes to the stories of the Avot, nothing is as simple as it seems; there is usually more to the story than what first meets the eye. Nevertheless, that which seems to be simple enough to learn from what we do see is a lesson for all, and for all times.

  

  

(Author, lecturer, and scholar Rabbi Pinchas Winston is the director of ThirtySix.org. His book Be Positive is available for purchase online)