As posted on June 21, 2013 by Sam Blustin on Soup for the Neshama
“There was once a poor, G-d fearing Jew who lived in the city of Prague. One night he dreamt that he should journey to Vienna. There, at the base of a bridge leading to the King’s palace, he would find a buried treasure.
Night after night the dream recurred until, leaving his family behind, he traveled to Vienna to claim his fortune. The bridge, however, was heavily guarded. The watchful eyes of the King’s soldiers afforded little opportunity to retrieve the treasure. Every day the poor Jew spent hours pacing back and forth across the bridge waiting for his chance.
After two weeks time one of the guards grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and demanded gruffly, “Jew! What are you plotting? Why do you keep returning to this place day after, day?” Frustrated and anxious, he blurted out the story of his dream. When he finished, the soldier, who had been containing his mirth, broke into uncontrollable laughter.
The poor Jew looked on in astonishment, not knowing what to make of the man’s attitude. Finally, the King’s guard caught his breath. He stopped laughing long enough to say, “What a foolish Jew you are believing in dreams. Why, if I let my life be guided by visions, I would be well on my way to the city of Prague. For just last night I dreamt that a poor Jew in that city has, buried in his cellar, a treasure which awaits discovery.”
The poor Jew returned home. He dug in his cellar and found the fortune. Upon reflection he thought, the treasure was always in my.possession. Yet, I had to travel to Vienna to know of its existence.”
When we are entrenched in something, especially something that means a lot to us, we often get so wrapped up in it that we forget to step back and appreciate it for what it’s worth. Our visions and hopes for the future stifle us, make us put on blinders and give us one track minds. We know where we want to go. We know what we want to see. And anything less is a disappointment. That is, until we step back.
When we take the opportunity to step back, to view our own lives within the greater context of the world, our communities, and our religion, our blinders expand and our eyes open. We realize that what we have is really a lot more special than we thought it was. Or we realize that it really isn’t anything special at all. But we now have a better picture of where we stand, and how our vision fits into the greater picture.
I’ve seen this in numerous organizations, and even in the household, and it’s not until we really step back and have the chance to talk with others and have other experiences that we can see that we’re really not alone. Others have the same issues as us. Others have it better, and from them we can learn. And others have it worse, and to them, we can teach. But nothing exists in a vacuum. We exist in the context of a community, a people, and a history. And until we step back, we can’t realize all of the treasures that lie right in front of us.
This Shabbos, take the time to step back and reflect on your week. What are the treasures in your own life?
Shabbat Shalom,
SB
This is one of the songs of my youth, and one of my favorites. One Tin Soldier:
This story was taken from Gedaliah Fleer. You can find this story and more at: http://www.hasidicstories.com/Stories/Nachman_of_Bratslav/yekel.html
