Parshas Ki Savo-Living Life Forwards

Parshas Ki Savo: Living Life Forwards

Torah-Psych101

Dr. Jonathan M. Lasson

What person does not want to have blessings? Blessings encourage us to try and live our lives with the knowledge that Hashem is giving us blessings every day.

However, there is a Pasuk in this week’s Parsha which seems a bit strange at first glance.

ובאו עליך כל-הברכות האלה והשיגך כי תשמע בקול ה' אלוקיך

All these blessings will come upon you and reach you, if you listen to the voice of Hashem, your G-d. (1)

Why would anyone want to run away from blessings as the פסוק seems to imply?

The דגל מחנה אפרים says that sometimes we do not see blessings as blessings. We see some things that are given to us as overwhelming when in reality, they are blessings. There is a beautiful story that epitomizes this idea. The Berdichover Rov once saw a person running in a market and asked him where he was running to. He replied that he was running for his פרנסה to which Reb Levi asked him, “how do you know your פרנסה is in front of you? Maybe it’s behind you?

To this Rav Twerski brings the Pasuk in Tehillim which says

אך טוב וחסד ירדפוני כל-ימי חיי

“May goodness and loving kindness pursue me all the days of my life (2).”

In my practice, I see clients who do exactly what we are discussing. They have a very difficult time seeing the blessings that they are being given. In fact, they seem to want to run away from them. There are many reasons for this psychological phenomenon. Some people don’t feel like they deserve anything good so they resist. Others simply can’t see the good because they are so overwhelmed by the seemingly negative events. Still others are so down that they have no motivation to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Instead of running away from blessing we should allow them to overtake us and later we will understand why they are indeed---blessings!

(1)   Devarim 28:2

(2)   Tehilim 23:6