The New Norm

Dennis Prager says that happiness comes from having reasonable expectations in life. If you have unreasonable expectations you are likely to be disappointed.

There is an original Chabad adage which says that the world faces challenge at best head on, but in reality we need to jump over challenge. In other words, there are standards, realities and expectations assumed by the world around us. These standards etc. are assumed to be the boxes in which we need to live and conduct ourselves according to.

The Chabad saying asks a rhetorical question, “really? Who says that you must? Who says that these are reality?” So when one of these assumed realities or expectations prevent you from moving forward, if you take it into consideration even if you are prepared to challenge it head on, you are giving it credence. If you jump over it, you are essentially saying, “you don’t exist, the box that society has decided for me is not real; I am not bound by it”.

In this weeks Torah portion we read of Bilaam the non Jewish Prophets’ attempt to curse the Jews. We witness a variety of events natural and supernatural that get in the way of Bilaams’ plan. The Torah is teaching the Jews a powerful lesson; the Jewish people are not bound by the rules of society. We are a supernatural people and we will only be limited and boxed in if we choose to be boxed in. If we choose to be a supernatural people we can live above the world even as we live in it.

Have a good Shabbos!