A young man once volunteered several hours preparing a book for publication. When the book was published, he asked the supervisor if he could get a free copy. The supervisor responded, “If one works in a mint, the person who runs the coin press cannot take home a ’few samples‘ of his handiwork. You get paid for your work with no further payment.” This young man didn’t understand because in his case, he worked for free. Isn’t he entitled to a free copy?
What do you think? Is this young man entitled to a free copy, or is the concept of entitlement repugnant to you, and therefore even if the young man had some standing, should he even be asking?
We can argue that since he gave time and effort to the project, he was justified to cash in on a book and therefore was entitled. This kind of entitlement is not so much egocentric as a justifiable attitude. Yet, the answer was “no.”
However, if you think about it, he could have asked for a free book in another way. He could have said, “I know that I don’t ‘deserve’ a free copy, but I would like to learn about this topic more in depth and I cannot afford to buy it on my own. Please accept my volunteerism as a sign that I really am interested in the subject matter, and that this book will not just sit on a shelf. It will go to good use.”
This alternative approach is how Jacob speaks with G-d in our Torah portion of the week, Vayishlach.
Jacob says, “I am small,” meaning I am not deserving. Of course, we all know that Jacob was a righteous man, yet he insisted on taking the humbler route.
Instead of saying, “G-d, it’s owed to me; I have worked hard all these years, I have been committed to you etc., and now this. … Please save me!” He said, “I have no merits of my own. … There is no reason You should save me, but still do so anyway so that I can serve G-d in the future.”
This is a lesson we can use in our own lives as well. If we take the attitude that everything is owed to us (even if we really do deserve it all) we will be disappointed. If, however, we are always grateful for everything that we do have and approach life with a dash of humility, we will see many more blessings in our lives.
As we near the Chanukah season, we should take a moment and ask what are we doing for others, not what others should be doing for us.
Edited by geminiwordsmiths.com