Zevulun will settle on the seashore, he will be a haven for ships, his borders will reach to Sidon (Bereshis 49:13)

The Midrash states the tribe of Zevulun complained about their portion in Eretz Yisrael because it was located on the water. All of the other brothers received fields which allowed them to take care of their physical needs, but Zevulun only received bodies of water. Hashem responded to Zevulun that they should not worry as they would now be the owners of something all of the other tribes would need: the chilatzon, which provided the blue dye necessary to make the blue string (techailes) in tzitzis. Zevulun still were not happy. The tribe felt people would come into their area and steal the chilatzon without their permission nor knowledge. Hashem promised Zevulun that they should not fear because whoever took the chilatzon would not prosper from it. Only those from the tribe of Zevulun would benefit from it.

Recently, I visited Walt Disney World. My older children went on a ride with my wife so I was going to walk around the park with my two babies. I came in front of the castle and saw there was a show going on with Mickey Mouse and the gang. My two year old loves Mickey so I stopped to let my children watch the show. After a short time, I realized that the show was more for me than for them because I learned an important lesson. Mickey and Minnie were stating how everyone needs to have a dream. Donald Duck stated his dream was to be a pirate. He then dressed up as Captain Hook and pretended to sword fight. Suddenly, the real Captain Hook appeared and was not amused at seeing Donald acting like him. The nasty pirate with a hook for a hand told Donald Duck that Donald was not Captain Hook. There is only one Captain Hook.

People always dream about being someone besides who they are. Children dream of being pirates or princesses. They dream of playing baseball like Derek Jeter or throwing a football like Peyton Manning. With children this is just fun and games, but unfortunately, adults also use their imaginations and dream of being someone else. They look at others and think how much more someone else has. They read about the nine million dollar home of LeBron James and are jealous. They see the Hollywood stars and dream how great their life would be if they could switch places with them. Even if a person is on a higher level and does not care about material possessions, he still imagines how much better life would be if he had children or a wife like so-and-so.

When someone asks you who do you want to be like, there is only one answer to that question: yourself. Zevulun complained because his lot did not look as good as everyone else’s. Therefore, he desired to be like the others. In actuality, though, his lot was much better than all of the others. We also need to realize our lot is better than everyone else’s. Hashem gave you everything you need. So when you read about $9 Million homes, be happy. You might think his lot is really great, but Hashem has given you an even better lot!

Good Shabbos!
-yes
[email protected]
www.divreisimcha.com OR www.chesedclub.com > Torah Study