I am happy to say that I have now been writing for www.chesedclub.com for two years!!!! I would like to begin this week’s DivreiSimcha by thanking Reb Simcha Tamir for all that he has done!

Many times in the Torah it mentions that a Jew is commanded to love a ger, a convert to Judaism. One time is in this week’s parsha. Therefore, I would like to share a thought about gerim, converts to Judaism, this week.

When I think about converts to Judaism, I think of one word: jealousy. I am jealous of all that they have done and how great they are. Last week, I read a story of a German man in the 1940s that realized Judaism is the correct way and converted. He was eventually caught by the Nazis (may their name be wiped out) and was murdered in one of the camps. He could have lived an easy life as a German but risked his life to attach himself with the Jews. One more story: I was in Richmond, VA many years ago and met a man who had recently converted. He stated that when he converted, he needed to throw away all of his dishes. He literally had to spend hundreds, and probably even thousands of dollars to become a Jew. When I think about how great these people are, I am very jealous.

Last week, I drove one of the local yeshiva boys home from shul. While we were driving, the yeshiva boy mentioned that he was jealous of me. He stated that since I am a ba’al tshuvah (I did not grow up religious) that I am much better than him because he grew up religious. He felt that I am therefore on a much higher level than him. I answered him that I was not sure if this was true, but if it is, then he still should not feel bad. The reason is because G-d does not judge us like we are judged in this world. In school, every student strives to get a 100 on his tests and if someone does not reach this goal, he is not considered an “A+” student. In G-d’s eyes, though, we are judged differently. Each person competes against himself. G-d knows what we are supposed to accomplish. For one person, they are supposed to reach 100, but for another person, the best they can reach is maybe an 85. Well, let’s say that the first person gets a 91 while the second person gets an 84. Which one is better? Even though the first person had a higher score, in G-d’s eyes, the second person is really the one that is better because they are closer to where they are supposed to be. So even though one person might seem greater, people should not give up and say that they will never be as great as that person. Although it might not look that way, they may be able to rise higher than this other person.

Let me share an example that might make this a little clearer. As we know, the Olympics are taking place as I write this. I have not been following the Olympics very closely, but I have read some articles about what is going on in China. There are many great stories that have come out of these Olympics, but one thing I find amazing is the different reactions between the US Men’s Gymnastics team and the US Women’s Gymnastics team performances. The women ended with a silver medal but were not happy about it while the men finished with a bronze and were overjoyed. It does not make much sense: the women earned a higher medal, so why are they not the happier ones? The answer is quite simple. The women were expected to take the gold, while the men were not expected to finish in the top 3. The women did not do what they were supposed to do while the men accomplished their goal.

This is similar to how G-d looks at us. In the World to Come, will we be happy like men’s gymnastics team or sad like the women’s team? If you do not reach the same heights as a great Rosh Yeshiva or Rabbi reached, it does not necessarily mean that you are worse off. All you need to do is to do the best that you can and if all that earns you is a bronze medal, you have nothing to worry about. Just because someone else has a higher medal does not mean they are really the best.

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