Embrace the season of hope

Rabbi Fishel Zaklos

King David once called a jeweler and asked him to design a ring that would be his equalizer by bringing him joy when he was sad and ground him when his heart felt haughty.

Overwhelmed by the task, the jeweler walked home with stress written all over his face. A young boy noticed him and asked why he was so sad. He brushed the boy off. The boy nudged. Reluctantly, he shared with the boy the seemingly impossible task the king just gave him.

The clever boy told him, “Do not worry. Make a beautiful ring and on it engrave these words גם זה י עבור (This too will pass). The king will be happy with it.”

The fellow prepared such a ring and presented it to King David. The king was mightily impressed and asked him how he came up with this idea. The honest jeweler told the king about the young, clever boy. The king asked him to describe the boy’s features. It soon became apparent that this youngster was the crown prince — and future king — Solomon.

The ring worked its magic on the king by always centering him regardless of the circumstances.

Although this story happened thousands of years ago, its message could not be more relevant now.

We see and have seen loneliness and emotional pain we never thought we’d see in our lifetime.

We have witnessed extreme politics taking hold of the national (and global) conversation.

We watched in horror as the incredible search teams, both local and abroad (a special shoutout to the incredible team from our Holy Land), searched through the rubble of crushed concrete and crushed dreams, looking for survivors amongst the carnage.

We saw missiles fly above the heads of children in southern and central Israel, taking the lives of innocents.

Having suffered through more than a year of a pandemic that has overturned our lives, we now find ourselves facing a new variant which we don’t yet fully understand.

We look at all this and ask, “Does this ever end?” “Is life as we knew it forever gone?” “Will we ever move beyond masks, social distancing, pandemic waves and all the havoc they bring?”

Although none of us owns King David’s ring, the message of the ring reaches across the centuries with its soft and gentle voice.

Let me tell you about King David. For the first two decades of his life, he was ostracized by his own family. As he says in the book of Psalms, “My father and mother have neglected me, yet G-d embraced me.”

He was hunted by King Saul. His own son tried to kill him. His enemies were constantly waging war against him. He witnessed the dirtiest politics of his time. He faced endless drama amongst his family.

And yet he always took heed of the wise words of his son, King Solomon, that this too will pass.

Take this statement to heart. Let it remind you that, no matter what the challenge, it will pass. You will smile again. You will love again! You will overcome this. The best of life is not behind us; it is ahead of us!

If I were to summarize this article in one sentence, I’d have to borrow from baseball legend, Yogi Berra, who said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

We are far from over. Better days are ahead of us!

As we anticipate the approach of the High Holidays with their theme of hope and renewal, we pray for better days in the coming year and that Hashem will bring physical, emotional and spiritual healing to our world.

May this coming year bring sweetness and love to all.

Rabbi Fishel serves at Chabad of Naples.